[There are] those who stand convinced that in a war, whether declared or not, the victor is always right and pillage is his compensation. The defeated party is always wrong and has no choice other than to thank his executioner should the later spare his life. The defeated party has no automatic right to Justice. In other words: might makes right and the law has no might that does not depend on the power of the victim. That is the philosophy of law that is a convoked to justify the refusal to restitute...because in this philosophy of law, the laws function is then no longer to serve justice but to guarantee existing force relations. So we need to leave that concept of the law behind because it is dissociated from the obligation of justice.

Mbembe