“Law and Power” in Athens

“Justice without force is powerless, force without justice is tyrannical”.

The new book entitled “Law and Power”, edited by Stergios Mitas, Costas Stratilatis and Iordanis Koumasides, as well as the above phrase of the French philosopher Blaise Pascal, formed the impetus for a wider discussion, at the book launch organised by the School of Law of the University of Nicosia and Hippasus Law Publishers, at Polis Art Café, in Athens.

Before a large crowd, the academics and authors who took the floor, presented their views on the topical nature, breadth and substantial contribution of the book to the current major debates of law, politics and power.

Prof. Achilles C. Emilianides, Dean of the School of Law of UNIC praised the quality of the book in his address and explained that this was based on a conference organised by the School of Law of the University of Nicosia, following revisions and restricting. The publisher of Hippasus Hera Ioannou, referred in her address to the publication strategy of the well-known Nicosia-based publishing house. The Head of the Department of Law of UNIC Christos Papastylianos, further expressed the view that the work covers a vacuum in Greek legal bibliography.

Author Vangelis Bitsioris and Associate Professor of the School of Law of AUTH Ifigenia Kamtsidou were the main speakers during the event. They presented the topics of the edited volume and referred to the connection between law, philosophy, politics and the interrelations between political freedom and legal institutions. Stergios Mitas, one of the editors of the volume, and lecturer at UNIC School of Law, further explained the need for critical interventions by academics on legal issues and the interplay between law and power. The event was coordinated by Iordanis Koumasides, one of the editors of the volume and an adjunct lecturer in EAP and EKPA.