International Politics and International Criminal Justice

In the context of peace negotiations and war terminations, there is a well known tension between the objectives of peace and justice. The mandate to investigate, indict, and punish for serious war crimes is often seen as an obstacle to peace-making. The current growth of international criminal justice is likewise seen as a growing obstacle to the necessary maneuvering of peace brokers, and for this reason to the success of peace processes around the world. Hartmann discusses these issues by looking at the experience of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Balkans, and shows how a more committed and politically stronger system of international justice could be conducive to robust peace settlements, rather than being an obstacle to peace-making.