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.

Ugandan Holiday? Thoughts on the Offer of Asylum to Gaddafi

Uganda has become the first country to offer asylum, if asked to do so, to Libya’s Gaddafi. This comes at a time when ambiguity proliferates as to what fate the international community sees as necessary for Gaddafi. A few thoughts … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Amnesty, Article 16, Exile, Libya, Sierra Leone, Special Court for Sierra Leone, Uganda, UN Security Council | 6 Comments

The ICC and R2P – Bridging the Gap

Update: I have written an article on this subject which can be downloaded here. See here for an abstract. Comments and feedback are very much welcome! **************************************** I have wondered for some time now about the relationship between the ICC … Continue reading

Posted in Human Rights, International Criminal Court (ICC), Liberal Peace, Libya, Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P) | 5 Comments

Contradictions in Kenya: Kenyan PM Backs the ICC Trial of the Ocampo Six

It appears that Kenyan efforts to defer the ICC prosecutions of the “Ocampo Six” are destined to fail. But it may not only be because of international pressure or lack of consensus in the UN Security Council. Rather, the final … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Article 16, International Criminal Court (ICC), Kenya | Leave a comment

Impressions on the State of the Art in Transitional Justice

I had the opportunity to attend the four-day academic marathon that is the International Studies Association (ISA) annual conference last week in Montreal. The opportunity gave me the chance to meet and hear from those at the vanguard of transitional … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty, Liberal Peace, Transitional Justice | Leave a comment

ICC Wanted Broader Jurisdiction in Libya: Moreno-Ocampo

The UN’s referral of the situation in Libya sharply restricted the temporal jurisdiction of the ICC. The referral says the Court can have jurisdiction only over crimes committed in Libya since February 15th 2011. In a recent post, I argued … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Transitional Justice | 1 Comment

The West and Libya: The Politically Imposed Limits of Justice

  There was a time, just a few years ago, when Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was ostracized by the international community. Then he became a key, if quirky, ally and business partner of the West. Fast-forward a few years and … Continue reading

Posted in Arms Deals, European Union (EU), France, International Criminal Court (ICC), Italy, Libya, Russia, United Kingdom, United States | 9 Comments

Outreach, Politics and Justice: An ICC TV Show in Kenya

In comparison to criticisms such as the effects of the ICC’s work has on peace, on the costs of the Court’s trials, and on the Court’s supposed Western, colonial mode of justice, the issue of it’s lacking capacity for outreach … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), International Criminal Court (ICC), Kenya, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Outreach, Uganda | Leave a comment

Will Kenya’s Most Wanted Walk the Walk or just Talk the Talk?

On the same day that the ICC summoned six senior Kenyan officials to appear before the Court to face charges linked to post-election violence in 2007/2008, Kenya officially asked the UN Security Council to suspend the ICC investigation under Article … Continue reading

Posted in Article 16, Elections, Human Rights, International Criminal Court (ICC), Kenya, UN Security Council | 2 Comments

Engaging John Bolton on Libya and the ICC

I hesitate to even attempt to comment on anything that John Bolton says. His commentary is so stubbornly right-wing and predictably political  that arguing with him would be akin to trying to move concrete walls with your forehead. Nevertheless, Bolton’s … Continue reading

Posted in Deterrence, International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, UN Security Council, United States | 2 Comments

Would Gaddafi Accept a Deferral-for-Peace Deal?

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that it is generally assumed that perpetrators of human rights violations would accept a deferral-for-peace deal. It isn’t obvious that they necessarily would. The scenario in which Article 16, which allows the UN Security Council … Continue reading

Posted in Article 16, Libya, UN Security Council | Leave a comment