Theodor Meron. The Making of International Criminal Justice. A View from the Bench

Abstract

[T]here is no question that what we write and when we write can only be explained by our own life experiences remarks the author in the lecture which forms the introduction to the present book (at 3). Few people are better placed to write on the past and present of international criminal justice than Theodor Meron. President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on two occasions (from 2003 to 2005 and from 2011 to the present) and a former member of the US delegation to the Rome Conference held in 1998 to establish the International Criminal Court (ICC), Meron is a leading figure in international criminal justice and has played an integral part in its development. It is the author's vast experience as an international judge which is crystallized and captured in this collection of speeches delivered during his tenure on the bench. Meron's motivation for publishing this collection is made clear at the outset, in the book's preface: [I]t is important, in promoting the universe of international criminal justice, to speak about our achievements, our challenges, and, yes, even our frustrations. It is this belief that has animated my decision to share a selection of my speeches in the present volume. Introduction and epilogue aside, the book covers four main themes: first, humanitarian law and human rights law as evolving bodies of law; second, the rise of international criminal tribunals; third, international crimes and jurisprudence of international courts; and, fourth, responsibility and the role of the judge. Aged nine years at the outbreak of the Second World War, the author's focus upon humanitarian law and its relationship with human rights law is perhaps unsurprising. As Meron himself acknowledges: [I]n many ways, the title of my book Humanisation of International Law could describe the overarching theme �