Ethan A. Nadelmann, Cops Across Borders: The Internationalization of U.S. Criminal Law Enforcement

This book review asserts that Cops Across Borders: The Internationalization of U.S. Criminal Law Enforcement (”Cops Across Borders”) is the first book to attempt a systematic analysis of the role that the United States has played in the field of international law enforcement. For that reason, the book represents a major step forward in understanding this rapidly evolving area. While many people have examined different aspects of international law enforcement, such as extraterritorial jurisdiction, extradition, and international evidence gathering, not until this book has the entire field been subjected to historical and scholarly research. Mr. Nadelmann’s book has forged a new road in this rapidly growing, but often confusing, area. The book is not without defects, however. The basic problem with Cops Across Borders is that the general theme of international law enforcement is not strong enough to hold together the different chapters to form a cohesive whole. Each chapter is a self-contained study of a particular facet of law enforcement, and the reader is left with the feeling that Mr. Nadelmann has forced the parts together to form a single text. Given the importance of his endeavor, however, the effort can be readily defended as the exercise of justifiable force. Indeed, the sections of the book are well-suited to use in an academic setting as the basis for an extended study of the issues raised.