Author Archives: Mark Kersten

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About Mark Kersten

Mark Kersten is an Assistant Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, and a Senior Consultant at the Wayamo Foundation in Berlin, Germany. Mark is the founder of the blog Justice in Conflict and author of the book, published by Oxford University Press, by the same name. He holds an MSc and PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons) from the University of Guelph. Mark has previously been a Research Associate at the Refugee Law Project in Uganda, and as researcher at Justice Africa and Lawyers for Justice in Libya in London. He has taught courses on genocide studies, the politics of international law, transitional justice, diplomacy, and conflict and peace studies at the London School of Economics, SOAS, and University of Toronto. Mark’s research has appeared in numerous academic fora as well as in media publications such as The Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera, BBC, Foreign Policy, the CBC, Toronto Star, and The Washington Post. He has a passion for gardening, reading, hockey (on ice), date nights, late nights, Lego, and creating time for loved ones.

The ICC and Kenya Parting Ways? What it Means and What it Doesn’t.

UPDATE: Kenyan Parliament has now approved a motion to withdraw from the ICC. A bill will be introduced to this effect in 30 days. Opposition MPs boycotted the vote. For a new post on whether the vote was in vain, … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Justice, Kenya, Kenya and the ICC | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Whose R2P Is It? The Responsibility to Protect Post-Syria

If you haven’t already, do take the time to check out the fantastic symposium on intervention in Syria over at Opinio Juris. You’ll find a host of provocative and timely posts on the subject, including great pieces by Stephanie Carvin, Jennifer … Continue reading

Posted in Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), Syria | 4 Comments

To Intervene or not to Intervene – R2P and the Murky Legal Options in Syria

James P. Rudolph joins JiC for this guest-post on R2P and the legal options for intervening in Syria. James is an attorney in Washington, D.C. and California where his work focuses on international law. He has previously written on R2P in … Continue reading

Posted in International Law, Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), Syria, UN Security Council, United Nations, United States | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Syria: War is Looming, but is Justice Possible?

Dear readers, I wanted to share an op-ed I penned for the Globe and Mail on Syria and international criminal justice. It’s no secret that, over the past few days, the UK, France and the US have begun beating the drums … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Syria | Tagged | 4 Comments

Meeting the Devil’s Advocate – An Interview with Jacques Vergès

The following glimpse into the life and mind of Jacques Vergès is brought to you by Chris Tenove. Chris is a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of British Columbia where his research explores the political and ethical dilemmas of global … Continue reading

Posted in Cambodia, International Law, Interview, Interviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

World Wide Justice – Help Improve the ICC’s Website

As readers know, both Kevin Jon Heller and I have recently been rather vocal about the ICC’s website (see here and here). In a nutshell, given the potential reach and impact of the Court’s site, it is currently a disaster. … Continue reading

Posted in ICC Registry, International Criminal Court (ICC) | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Why Syria Still Won’t be Referred to the ICC

Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad probably used chemical weapons in an attack on the outskirts of Damascus. The United Nations responded that it will probably investigate what happened. Still, the International Criminal Court (ICC) probably won’t be investigating … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Russia, Syria, UN Security Council, United Nations | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Could Russia be a Key to International Justice in Libya?

The battle between Libya and the International Criminal Court (ICC) over where Abdullah al-Senussi and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi should be tried has taken another dramatic turn. Saif’s legal representative John Jones has written a scathing letter to the UK’s Foreign … Continue reading

Posted in Libya, Libya and the ICC, UN Security Council, United Nations | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Impending Disaster? The ICC in Kenya and Africa

Dear readers, I recently had the pleasure and honour to write a brief article for the UNA-UK’s publication New World on what the election of Kenyatta and Ruto in Kenya means for the ICC. For anyone interested, the full article … Continue reading

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Palestine and the ICC: Peace First, Justice (Maybe) Later

News that Palestine and Israel have committed to a new round of US-brokered negotiations has been met with a mix of curiosity and caution. No surprise there. We’ve seen this show before. While it is undoubtedly useful to be positive … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC | Tagged | 5 Comments