When I picked up J. M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians for some light reading during the writing stage of my Ph.D. thesis, I had no idea how deeply it would influence my understanding of torture and of human rights more generally. I also did not realise that the Magistrate’s struggle would become central to my own conclusions. Waiting for the Barbarians ends on a beautifully ambiguous note. Reflecting on a year of turmoil in the history of Empire, the Magistrate thinks to himself: ‘There has been something staring me in the face, and still I do not see it.’8 His inability to see, capture and conclude on the unfolding history and meaning of Empire, as well as his complicity to Empire, resonates with me as I try to see and make sense of what stares at me. In this unending effort, I have been guided and inspired by a number of individuals. Above all, I would like to thank my Ph.D. supervisor, Dr Kathleen Cavanaugh, for her years of enthusiasm, expertise and provocation, her seemingly endless patience but mainly for trusting that I would eventually see something. I would also like to particularly thank my external examiner, Professor Louis Wolcher, who, through his scholarship and comments, has opened my eyes to new ways of seeing. Professor William A. Schabas has been an inspiration to me (not to mention infectious in his enthusiasm) since I first undertook my LLM at the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Finally, I would like also to give special thanks to Professor Edward Peters. My copy of his seminal text Torture is well thumbed for a good reason. Moreover, Professor Peters has kindly engaged with me on matters of substance and provided me with important comments, particularly as I moved this work from Ph.D. to book. I would like to give special thanks to the team at Cambridge University Press for their hard work, guidance and patience with me in finalising this manuscript.