Category Archives: UN Security Council

Buyer’s Beware – Is a UN Security Council Referral of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court a Good Idea?

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Mark Kersten

Confirming what close observers have long suspected, investigators from the United Nations have determined that Burmese authorities have committed genocide against the Rohingya population. Without any prospects of the Burmese government investigating and prosecuting atrocities committed against a people they won’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Burma/Myanmar, Genocide, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, UN Security Council | 7 Comments

Policy Paper Alert: “Building Bridges and Reaching Compromise: Constructive Engagement in the Africa-ICC Relationship”

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Mark Kersten

Dear JiC readers, I am thrilled to announce the publication of a policy paper entitled “Building Bridges and Reaching Compromise — Constructive Engagement in the Africa-ICC Relationship” that I have authored with contributions from colleagues at the Wayamo Foundation, where I … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, African Union (AU), Amnesty, Article 16, Assembly of States Parties, ICC Prosecutor, International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Peace Negotiations, Peace Processes, Peacebuilding, Policy Papers, UN Security Council, Wayamo Foundation | 1 Comment

How Three Words Could Change the ICC-Africa Relationship

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Mark Kersten

Much of the fraught relationship between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and African states hinges on perceptions and misperceptions of the Court’s role on the continent. There are so many conflicting narratives of the ICC’s impact in Africa, so many … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, African Union (AU), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, South Africa, UN Security Council | 4 Comments

“Let’s Ditch War Crimes”? Let’s Not Get Carried Away with Justice Criticism and Cynicism

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Alana Tiemessen

Common criticisms and cynicism of international justice, and the International Criminal Court specifically, are frustrating as they tend to obscure reality, misunderstand both the limits and possibilities of accountability norms and institutions, and misdirect blame away from states whose cooperation … Continue reading →

Posted in Complementarity, Deterrence, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Outreach, UN Security Council, War crimes | 2 Comments

Laying the Blame: Justice in Syria Just Got a Bit More Likely

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Mark Kersten

Anyone would be excused for believing that things in Syria may get worse before they get better. Millions of civilians live in daily fear for their security. Those who manage to escape do so to a new kind of hell … Continue reading →

Posted in International Law, ISIS, Islamic State, Israel, Justice, Russia, Syria, UN Security Council | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Africa-ICC Relationship – More and Less than Meets the Eye (Part 2)

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Mark Kersten

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an ‘Africa problem’. The Court is widely perceived as a Western, neo-colonial institution that unfairly targets African states. The ICC and its champions insist this isn’t the case. The Court is simply misunderstood and … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, African Union (AU), Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Child Soldiers, Darfur, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominic Ongwen ICC, Hissène Habré, International Criminal Court (ICC), Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast and the ICC, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Omar al-Bashir, Senegal, Special African Chamber (CAE), Sudan, Uganda, UN Security Council | 11 Comments

The ICC and ISIS: Be Careful What You Wish For

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Mark Kersten

Over the past few weeks, JiC has covered issues pertaining to international justice and accountability in Syria and Iraq, including the wisdom of a United Nations Security Council referral of the Islamic State to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This … Continue reading →

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Iraq, ISIS, Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Middle East, Syria, UN Security Council, War crimes | 10 Comments

ISIS and the ICC: On Fatou Bensouda’s Targeted Use of Symbolic Power

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Barrie Sander

Earlier this week, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda issued a “clarification” regarding communications received by her office with respect to atrocities allegedly committed by ISIS. The statement was unprecedented because, to the best of my knowledge, never before has the Prosecutor … Continue reading →

Posted in Darfur, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), ISIS, Palestine and the ICC, Syria, UN Security Council | Tagged | 11 Comments

What an Honest UN Security Council Referral of ISIS to the ICC Would Look Like

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Mark Kersten

There has been a lot of chatter on the internet about the need to refer the Islamic State or ISIS / IS / ISIL to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In fact, the subject has received so much attention that … Continue reading →

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Iraq, ISIS, Syria, UN Security Council | Tagged | 3 Comments

Unnecessary & Counter-Productive: Samantha Power Explains US Position on ICC & Syria

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Mark Kersten

Yesterday, I highlighted Argentina’s eloquent and conscientious defence of the International Criminal Court’s integrity and independence in response to the Security Council’s failure to refer Syria to the ICC. Today, I want to focus on the response by the United States’ … Continue reading →

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Syria, UN Security Council, United Nations, United States | Tagged | 4 Comments