Most Popular Books by Michael Byers

"Professor Byers''s book goes to the heart of some of the most bitterly contested recent controversies about the International Rule of Law." —Chris Patten, Chancellor of Oxford University International law governing the use of military force has been the subject of intense public debate. Under what conditions is it appropriate, or necessary, for a country to use force when diplomacy has failed? Michael Byers, a widely known world expert on international law, weighs these issues in War Law. Byers examines the history of armed conflict and international law through a series of case studies of past conflicts, ranging from the 1837 Caroline Incident to the abuse of detainees by US forces at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Byers explores the legal controversies that surrounded the 1999 and 2001 interventions in Kosovo and Afghanistan and the 2003 war in Iraq; the development of international humanitarian law from the 1859 Battle of Solferino to the present; and the role of war crimes tribunals and the International Criminal Court. He also considers the unique influence of the United States in the evolution of this extremely controversial area of international law. War Law is neither a textbook nor a treatise, but a fascinating account of a highly controversial topic that is necessary reading for fans of military history and general readers alike. "Should be read, and pondered, by those who are seriously concerned with the legacy we will leave to future generations." —Noam Chomsky

This wise and richly symphonic first novel by the award-winning author of "The Coast of Good Intentions" is a thoroughly contemporary family drama that hinges on a riveting medical dilemma.

Who actually controls the Northwest Passage? Who owns the trillions of dollars of oil and gas beneath the Arctic Ocean? Which territorial claims will prevail, and why — those of the United States, Russia, Canada, or the Nordic nations? And, in an age of rapid climate change, how do we protect the fragile Arctic environment while seizing the economic opportunities presented by the rapidly melting sea-ice? Michael Byers, a leading Arctic expert and international lawyer clearly and concisely explains the sometimes contradictory rules governing the division and protection of the Arctic and the disputes over the region that still need to be resolved. What emerges is a vision for the Arctic in which cooperation, not conflict, prevails and where the sovereignty of individual nations is exercised for the benefit of all. This insightful little book is an informed primer for today''s most pressing territorial issue.

A novel of ambition and obsession centered on the race to discover Pluto in 1930, pitting an untrained Kansas farm boy against the greatest minds of Harvard at the run-down Lowell Observatory in Arizona In 1928, the boy who will discover Pluto, Clyde Tombaugh, is on the family farm, grinding a lens for his own telescope under the immense Kansas sky. In Flagstaff, Arizona, the staff of Lowell Observatory is about to resume the late Percival Lowell''s interrupted search for Planet X. Meanwhile, the immensely rich heir to a chemical fortune has decided to go west to hunt for dinosaurs and in Cambridge, Massachussetts, the most beautiful girl in America is going slowly insane while her ex-heavyweight champion boyfriend stands by helplessly, desperate to do anything to keep her. Inspired by the true story of Tombaugh and set in the last gin-soaked months of the flapper era, Percival''s Planet tells the story of the intertwining lives of half a dozen dreamers, schemers, and madmen. Following Tombaugh''s unlikely path from son of a farmer to discoverer of a planet, the novel touches on insanity, mathematics, music, astrophysics, boxing, dinosaur hunting, shipwrecks—and what happens when the greatest romance of your life is also the source of your life''s greatest sorrow.

Sets out the international law relevant to the Arctic, from Indigenous peoples to environmental protection to oil and gas exploration.

A collection of stories set in the Pacific Northwest. The story, In Spain, One Thousand and Three, describes the sexual reawakening of a mourning widower, while in Settled on the Cranberry Coast, a man meets a girl he once pined for, now a grandmother.

Explores the environmental, safety, and security challenges facing humanity''s rapid expansion into Space and proposes actionable solutions.

This book explains the most foundational aspect of international law in international relations terms.

In Intent for a Nation, Michael Byers argues that it is time for a clear-eyed appreciation of our strengths and weaknesses, of all we have and all we could be. A whole series of world events-the waning of US credibility; the increasing value of natural resources; the brain-gain; the ever-increasing interdependence of peoples, countries and continents-have combined to put Canada center stage in a new world order. Instead of emulating our increasingly isolated neighbor, we should be advancing the Canadian model, an idealistic, fiscally prudent, socially progressive vision that has never looked so good. Intent for a Nation is a fundamentally optimistic, informed and opinionated overview of where Canada stands in the world and what aggressive public policies are needed to carry the country forward in an ever more competitive and volatile world. Here is a book urging Canadians to rediscover their national self-confidence, to find the courage to dream great dreams-and make them happen.

‘I absolutely loved this novel . . . Think of the great open spaces of a John Steinbeck novel. Think of the gin-and-jazz era of Scott Fitzgerald sent through the prism of a fine modern imagination’ Readers Digest It’s 1928. Alan Barber is in love with his best friend’s girl. Clyde Tombaugh is stuck at home farming crops – about as far from his dream of becoming an astronomer as is possible. But by 1930, Alan will be enthralled in his life’s greatest romance, and Clyde will have made one of the most significant astronomical discoveries of the twentieth century. Based on a true story, this is an incredible tale of love, ambition and the fullest sweep of human emotion. Filled with a wondrous cast of fascinating characters and set in the last, vibrant days of the flapper era, it’s a novel that will leave you as awestruck as the clear night sky. ‘The Unfixed Stars is ambitious in its scope, but to read it is to entrust yourself to a writer in seemingly complete control’ Times Literary Supplement ‘It is a rich mix of characters, and Byers handles them assuredly. He has the rare ability to make a multistranded story seem utterly coherent and seamless. Their tales are suffused with a lovely sense of the period . . . If a passing alien were to be curious about the hopes, dreams and fears of the species who launched the probe, The Unfixed Stars would be a good place to start’ The Times