Now more than ever the international community plays a central role in pressing governments to hold their own to account. Despite pressure to adhere to global human rights norms, governments continue to benefit from impunity for their past crimes. In an age of accountability, how do states continue to escape justice? This book presents a theory of strategic adaptation which explains the conditions under which governments adopt transitional justice without a genuine commitment to holding state forces to account. Cyanne E. Loyle develops this theory through in-depth fieldwork from Rwanda, Uganda, and Northern Ireland conducted over the last ten years. Research in each of these cases reveals a unique strategy of adaption: coercion, containment, and concession. Using evidence from these cases, Loyle traces the conditions under which a government pursues its chosen strategies and the resulting transitional justice outcomes. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘Cyanne E. Loyle explores why transnational justice, even while it ‘works' has often failed to ensure that states are held accountable for crimes against their own citizens. Even with widespread diffusion of transitional justice mechanisms, Loyle shows us how and why it is fundamental to pay attention to whose justice is served. Beautifully written and theoretically insightful, Escaping Justice illuminates not only transitional justice, but a central and enduring problem in efforts to defend human security.'

Susan D. Hyde - Robson Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

‘Loyle uses a fascinating array of fieldwork data to shed light on the effect of transitional justice on victims. While making some citizens feel recognized and welcome in participating in the post-conflict regime, it makes others feel as if they have been left out. Moreover, governments are capable of dispatching transitional justice procedures strategically in ways that help them become further entrenched in power. The stories Loyle tells from the victims' perspective make this book a real page-turner.  But the ease with which this book is read should not distract from its social science value. It will no doubt allow the Peace Science community to answer numerous questions about the relationships between domestic and international transitional justice, the occurrence of transitional justice under authoritarian regimes, and just how skewed processes of transitional justice really are.'

Monika Nalepa - Professor, Department of Political Science, The University of Chicago

‘This rigorously researched and engagingly written book offers a compelling explanation for why some perpetrators of gross human rights violations are prosecuted and why some escape justice. Loyle's extensive fieldwork and innovative methodology make her conclusions persuasive and the book an essential contribution to the study of post-conflict justice.'

Jelena Subotic - Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University