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 Politics of ICC Referrals – A Proposal

In the wake of the military and judicial interventions in Libya, this blog has often criticized the relationship between the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The criticisms are well-known to most readers and hinge on the premise that … Continue reading

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), UN Security Council | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

A ‘Shot’ of Canada at the Nuremberg Trials

Dear readers, I recently had the unforgettable opportunity of visiting the premises of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunals, where senior officials of the Nazi regime – including Herman Goering, Rudolph Hess and Albert Speer, amongst others – were tried following … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, International Law, Justice, Nuremberg, Nuremberg Trials | Tagged | 8 Comments

Obama and the ICC – Four Reasons Not to Hold Your Breath

It wasn’t nearly as close as the pundits and media suggested. As of writing, it seems that Barack Obama may have defeated Mitt Romney by as many as 100 electoral college votes in the United States Presidential election. Many Americans … Continue reading

Posted in Drones, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, United States | 3 Comments

Outsourcing Justice to the ICC – What Should Be Done?

Few issues have instigated as much controversy in the field of international criminal justice as the question of where International Criminal Court (ICC) indictees should be brought to justice. The majority of attention has been focused on instances when states … Continue reading

Posted in Complementarity, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast and the ICC, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Uganda | 6 Comments

Missing the Mark: The ICC on its Relationship with the UN Security Council

Last week, for the first time since the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established, the United Nations Security Council debated its relationship with the Court. After two Security Council referrals (Darfur 2005 and Libya 2011), it was high time that … Continue reading

Posted in Darfur, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC, Sudan, UN Security Council | 7 Comments

Rewards for Justice: The US Takes a Step Closer to the ICC

It appears that the United States is inching towards a much closer legal, political and institutional relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC). This may come as a surprise given that the US is currently mired in another tumultuous Presidential … Continue reading

Posted in ICTY, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Justice, United States | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Transitional Justice and the Arab Spring – A ‘Webinar’

Dear readers, For anyone interested, please tune in to a ‘webinar’ on Transitional Justice and the Arab Spring from 11:30 – 13:00 EST (16:30-18:00 GMT) tomorrow, Monday, October 15. There is a great list of participants and it promises to be … Continue reading

Posted in Arab Spring, JiC News, Transitional Justice | 3 Comments

The Politics of International Criminal Justice – A Review

While the International Criminal Court (ICC) is currently celebrating its tenth year anniversary, we still know remarkably little about the Court’s relationship with the international community of states. This is not to say that scholarship has entirely overlooked how states … Continue reading

Posted in Germany, ICTY, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), International Law, Nuremberg, Nuremberg Trials | Tagged , | 1 Comment

How the ICC Could Still Get Senussi to The Hague

As I write this, admissibility hearings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) are ongoing. The hearings will play a major role in whether or not ICC judges ultimately accept Libya’s plans to try Abdullah al-Senussi, Gaddafi’s former spy chief and … Continue reading

Posted in Admissibility, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC | Tagged | 5 Comments

No winners in ICC – Libya standoff

Judges at the ICC are set to hear two days of arguments from Libya and the Saif al-Islam’s ICC Defence counsel over where Libya’s former heir apparent should be brought to justice. As readers will know, the question of where … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC | Tagged , | Leave a comment