"The International Criminal Court ushered in a new era in the protection of human rights. The Court prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression when national justice systems are either unwilling or unable to do so themselves. This fifth edition...describes a Court which is no longer in its infancy; the Court is currently examining situations that involve more than twenty countries in every continent of the planet. This book considers the difficulties in the Court's troubled relationship with Africa, the vagaries of the position of the United States, and the challenges the Court may face as it confronts conflicts around the world. It also reviews the history of international criminal prosecution and the Rome Statute."--

Arguably the most significant international organization to be created since the United Nations, the International Criminal Court ushers in a new era in the protection of human rights. The direct descendant of the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, as well as those of the more recent international criminal tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the International Criminal Court will prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when national justice systems are either unwilling or unable to do so themselves. This new book reviews the history of international criminal prosecution, the drafting of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the principles of its operation, including the scope of its jurisdiction and the procedural regime. Three of the Court's fundamental documents - the 1998 Rome Statute itself, the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, and the Elements of Crimes - are reproduced in the Appendix. Indispensable for students and practitioners.