he gruesome atrocities of civil and ethnic wars are all too familiar, if hardly unprecedented. Mitchell places respon-si-bility clearly in the hands of political leadership, identifying two types of leaders: Machiavellians who strategically use vio-lence to gain and retain power; and Grand Inquisitors who are dogmatically devoted to an ideology and use violence as a form of purification. He explores the interaction of leaders, their management of repression, and the relationship between reason and the passions to shed light on the causes of and respon-si-bility for violations of human rights. By examining the English and Russian civil wars, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mitchell highlights how violence is a choice and individuals are morally accountable. He concludes that holding leaders and their agents responsible for their actions is one of the most important tools for deterring mistreatment of civilians.

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