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.

Backstage at the ICC: A Review of ‘The Court’

To many, if not most, the International Criminal Court (ICC) still looms like an impenetrable institution where the decisions made and actions taken in The Hague subsequently reverberate around the world. This isn’t to say that it’s a murky world … Continue reading

Posted in Fatou Bensouda, Film, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How the ICC’s Website is Undermining the Court – and Justice

In the world of international criminal justice, it would be easy to think that the ICC’s website is a trivial matter. But it’s not. So I was thrilled to read that Kevin Jon Heller has written a brief but critically … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Outreach | 6 Comments

A Bizarre Snowball’s Chance in Hell: Kenya Asks Security Council to Terminate Kenyatta Case at the ICC

International criminal justice has had its share of bizarre moments. We’ve seen seemingly untouchable indictees turn themselves in to foreign embassies and request to be sent to The Hague. We’ve seen enemy indictees unite to win elections. We’ve seen indictees … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Kenya, Kenya and the ICC, UN Security Council | Tagged , | 25 Comments

Truth, Reconciliation and Canada’s ‘Cultural Genocide’: Notes from a Truth Commission

Andrea Russell joins JiC this week for a timely post on the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which is examining the impact and legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system in Canada. Andrea recently attended one of the TRC’s national events in Montreal … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Facebook Likes Don’t Save Lives

As readers will know, I have regularly commented on the relationship between social media and social activism. In the wake of Invisible Children’s KONY2012 and a growing body of literature on the subject, it has been impossible for anyone interested … Continue reading

Posted in Activism, Film, Social Media | Tagged | 5 Comments

ICC Prosecution of Kenyatta Takes a Hit

The Kenya cases were never going to be easy for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the going only got tougher following the election of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, both of whom have been indicted by the ICC for … Continue reading

Posted in Defense Counsel, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Kenya, Kenya and the ICC | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Canada’s Prime Minister: A Danger to Peace?

There was no need to be particularly impressed or to defend the comments of the newly appointed leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. Fresh off his victory in the … Continue reading

Posted in Canada | Tagged , | 1 Comment

CSI: The Hague or the ICC just got Jack Bauer-ed

We knew this day was coming. We didn’t know how or exactly when but we knew that someone would eventually make a TV show out of the International Criminal Court. There’s just too much drama, too much character, too much … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Humour, International Criminal Court (ICC) | 3 Comments

Transitional Justice as Politics

It is widely accepted that transitional justice can and should be separated from politics. How societies and states achieve justice in the wake of mass atrocities, so it goes, is a pursuit that must be divorced from political calculations. Indeed, … Continue reading

Posted in Transitional Justice | 2 Comments

ICC Prosecutor Enters the ‘Peace versus Justice’ Sweepstakes

Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), recently issued a ‘state of the union’ address from the ICC on the “peace versus justice” debate. The intervention, penned as a New York Times op-ed entitled ‘International Justice and Diplomacy’ introduced Bensouda’s voice … Continue reading

Posted in Conflict Resolution, Peace Negotiations, Peace Processes | Tagged , | 2 Comments