ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book makes a groundbreaking and original contribution to the almost non-existent analysis of the links between corporate accountability and transitional justice. In the academic transitional justice debate, the role of corporations is sometimes mentioned as one of the topics to consider in the context of transitional justic. They also explore current trends that allow for, and in fact might call for, broadening the field from being largely state-centered to incorporating non-state actors, including corporations, and addressing root causes and consequences of conflict and repression. It deals with the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the United States Alien Tort Statute (ATS). It focuses primarily on other important mechanisms of corporate accountability. After providing a discussion of the concept of accountability, it evaluates the possibilities of achieving accountability through several soft-law and hard-law tools.
