The Complexity of Evil Perpetration and Genocide

"Confronting the most challenging moral and historical questions in our field, The Complexity of Evil is exceptionally insightful and wise. Based upon extensive research and deep thought, this book is also remarkably accessible. Williams never loses sight of the human implications of his study, and has made a pathbreaking contribution."
- John Cox (author of To Kill a People: Genocide in the Twentieth Century) "The Complexity of Evil is a thorough and systematic exploration of genocide perpetration that that marries conceptual precision with a nuanced exploration of the Cambodian Genocide and other case studies. In perhaps his greatest contribution, Williams avoids reproducing conventional wisdom by thoughtfully exploring the complexities of perpetrator motivations in each context."
- Kjell Anderson (author of Perpetrating Genocide: A Criminological Account) "This timely book-grounded in extensive qualitative fieldwork in Cambodia and comparison with the Holocaust and the 1994 Rwandan genocide-offers rich insights for the fields of perpetrator studies and genocide studies. Williams's complexity of evil model helps us better understand the personal circumstances through which people become perpetrators, while acknowledging the potential for them to simultaneously be victims, bystanders, rescuers, and so on."
- Erin Jessee (author of Negotiating Genocide in Rwanda: The Politics of History)