Category Archives: UN Security Council

The Ceasefire Resolution at the UN Security Council: Why the U.S. Position is both Wrong and Harmful

The following is a guest post by Thomas Obel Hansen. Thomas is the Maria Zambrano 2023-24 Distinguished Researcher with the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain) and a Senior Lecturer in Law with Ulster University Law School/ Transitional Justice Institute (UK). … Continue reading

Buyer’s Beware – Is a UN Security Council Referral of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court a Good Idea?

Confirming what close observers have long suspected, investigators from the United Nations have determined that Burmese authorities have committed genocide against the Rohingya population. Without any prospects of the Burmese government investigating and prosecuting atrocities committed against a people they won’t … Continue reading

Policy Paper Alert: “Building Bridges and Reaching Compromise: Constructive Engagement in the Africa-ICC Relationship”

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Mark Kersten

Dear JiC readers, I am thrilled to announce the publication of a policy paper entitled “Building Bridges and Reaching Compromise — Constructive Engagement in the Africa-ICC Relationship” that I have authored with contributions from colleagues at the Wayamo Foundation, where I … Continue reading

How Three Words Could Change the ICC-Africa Relationship

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Mark Kersten

Much of the fraught relationship between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and African states hinges on perceptions and misperceptions of the Court’s role on the continent. There are so many conflicting narratives of the ICC’s impact in Africa, so many … Continue reading

“Let’s Ditch War Crimes”? Let’s Not Get Carried Away with Justice Criticism and Cynicism

Common criticisms and cynicism of international justice, and the International Criminal Court specifically, are frustrating as they tend to obscure reality, misunderstand both the limits and possibilities of accountability norms and institutions, and misdirect blame away from states whose cooperation … Continue reading

Laying the Blame: Justice in Syria Just Got a Bit More Likely

Anyone would be excused for believing that things in Syria may get worse before they get better. Millions of civilians live in daily fear for their security. Those who manage to escape do so to a new kind of hell … Continue reading

The Africa-ICC Relationship – More and Less than Meets the Eye (Part 2)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an ‘Africa problem’. The Court is widely perceived as a Western, neo-colonial institution that unfairly targets African states. The ICC and its champions insist this isn’t the case. The Court is simply misunderstood and … Continue reading

The ICC and ISIS: Be Careful What You Wish For

Over the past few weeks, JiC has covered issues pertaining to international justice and accountability in Syria and Iraq, including the wisdom of a United Nations Security Council referral of the Islamic State to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This … Continue reading

ISIS and the ICC: On Fatou Bensouda’s Targeted Use of Symbolic Power

Earlier this week, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda issued a “clarification” regarding communications received by her office with respect to atrocities allegedly committed by ISIS. The statement was unprecedented because, to the best of my knowledge, never before has the Prosecutor … Continue reading

What an Honest UN Security Council Referral of ISIS to the ICC Would Look Like

There has been a lot of chatter on the internet about the need to refer the Islamic State or ISIS / IS / ISIL to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In fact, the subject has received so much attention that … Continue reading