Category Archives: International Law

The Character of International Law: A Festschrift to Rob Cryer

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Mark Kersten

The following is a guest post by Emma Breeze, Mark Drumbl, and Gerry Simpson, on their new co-edited book in honour of the late Professor Rob Cryer. Emma is an Assistant Professor in International Criminal Law at the University of … Continue reading →

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Dreaming of Justice Part 4: Double Standards in Global Support for Ukraine and Myanmar

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Mark Kersten

The following is the fourth instalment in a four-part series by Jenna Dolecek on justice and accountability for victims and survivors of atrocities committed in Myanmar. For the first, second, and third parts of the series, please see here and here. The world’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Burma/Myanmar, Guest Posts, International Law, Justice, Myanmar, Ukraine | Tagged | 1 Comment

Dreaming of Justice Part One: What Justice Means to Myanmar’s Communities

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Mark Kersten

The following is the first instalment in a four-part series by Jenna Dolecek on justice and accountability for victims and survivors of atrocities committed in Myanmar. Jenna is an international criminal investigations consultant who investigated crimes committed in Myanmar through … Continue reading →

Posted in Bangladesh, Burma/Myanmar, International Court of Justice, International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Myanmar, Rohingya | Tagged | Leave a comment

Forget elbows; we need a spine: If Ottawa won’t condemn Trump’s violations of international law, who will speak out when he comes for Canada?

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Mark Kersten

It is not just the attack on Venezuela, breaches of the United Nations’ Charter, or the use of illegal force that still somehow left a dictatorship in place. It is not just the threats to annex Greenland or to make Canada the … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Greenland, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, Israel, Palestine, Russia, Ukraine, United Nations, United States, Venezuela | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

To Prosecute or Not to Prosecute: Maduro’s Indictment, Head-of-State Immunity, and the United States’ Instrumentalisation of Non-Recognition

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Mark Kersten

Mayya Chaykina join JiC for this post on the issue of head of state immunity and the prosecution of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Mayya is a master’s student in law at Sciences Po Paris. Her work focuses on international criminal law, mass … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, International Law, United States, Venezuela | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Violating international law to get rid of dictators is alluring but wrong – and dangerous

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Mark Kersten

There is an alluring idea that anything – including illegal action – should be taken to protect people from dictators. It is that reasoning that some are tapping into to insist that American military strikes on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro … Continue reading →

Posted in International Law, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, United Nations, United States, Venezuela, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How understanding atrocity perpetrators requires and benefits from a multi-angled approach – A response to commentaries and critiques 

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following article by Alette Smeulers is a response to the contributions to JiC’s recent symposium on Alette’s book, Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?. Alette is a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Her research … Continue reading →

Posted in International Criminal Justice, International Law, Symposium Introduction - A JiC Symposium on Alette Smeulers'  "Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal?, Transitional Justice | Tagged | Leave a comment

Courts in Conversation: The International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and their mutual and respective roles in Addressing International Crimes

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The following essay examines the relationship between the ICJ and the ICC, at a time when both courts have increasingly found themselves seized of the same situations of mass atrocity crimes, including in Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine and Afghanistan. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Burma/Myanmar, Gaza, ICC Prosecutor, International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, International Law, Israel, Myanmar, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, Rohingya, Russia, Ukraine | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Canada should Recognize Palestine, Now: My Speech to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Mark Kersten

Dear JiC readers: I had the honour and opportunity to present my views to the Canadian House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on 29 October. A video of my testimony – and that of others, … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Gaza, International Law, Israel | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Disguise, Blur, Purr, and Nakedness: Mark Drumbl and Barbora Holá on Informers Up Close: Stories from Communist Prague

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Mark Kersten

The following introductory post was written by Mark Drumbl and Barbora Holá, authors of the book Informers Up Close, the subject of JiC’s ongoing symposium. For all other contributions, please see here. You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes And your … Continue reading →

Posted in Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, Historical Justice, Informers Up Close Symposium, International Law, Transitional Justice | Tagged , , | Leave a comment