This is an astonishing essay. In part literature, in part philosophy and social theory, it combines critical self-observation with razor-sharp analysis of Western humanitarian activism abroad. Human rights will never be the same. The essay has already achieved cult status among a small circle of activists; its publication for wider audiences is a cause for celebration."--Martti Koskenniemi, author of "The Gentle Civilizer of Nations: The Rise and Fall of International Law, 1870-1960