A Critical Introduction to International Criminal Law

Presents theories, practices and critiques alongside each other to engage students, scholars and professionals from multiple fields. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Carsten Stahn (Author)

9781108423205, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 6 December 2018

464 pages
25.3 x 16 x 2.8 cm, 0.96 kg

'This is a refreshing return to clear and useful logic … This is a direct textbook that treats every word and paragraph as essential to convey a point. While few patrons might face problems with the international courts, many might be interested in developments in the news that touch on these subject, and might search for a book like this to explain what is going on in these foreign judicial systems.' Pennsylvania Literary Journal

International criminal law has witnessed a rapid rise after the end of the Cold War. The United Nations refers to the birth of a new 'age of accountability', but certain historical objections, such as selectivity or victor's justice, have never fully gone away, and many of the justice dimensions of international criminal law remain unexplored. Various critiques have emerged in socio-legal scholarship or globalization discourse, revealing that there is a stark discrepancy between reality and expectation. Linking discussion of legal theories, case-law and practice to scholarship and opinion, A Critical Introduction to International Criminal Law explores these critiques through five main themes at the heart of contemporary dilemmas: • The shifting contours of criminality and international crimes • The tension between individual and collective responsibility • The challenges of domestic, international, hybrid and regional justice institutions • The foundations of justice procedures • Approaches towards punishment and reparation Suitable for students, academics and professionals from multiple fields wishing to understand contemporary theories, practices and critiques of international criminal law. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Preface
List of abbreviations
Introduction
1. International crimes
2. Individual and collective responsibility
3. The global institutional architecture
4. International criminal justice procedures
5. Remedying wrong
6. Beyond the status quo: re-thinking international criminal law
Index.

Subject Areas: Criminal law & procedure [LNF], International criminal law [LBBZ], Public international law [LBB]