The International Criminal Court (ICC) a brief history.

• Author: Winterdyk, John
• Position: Special Report on International Organizations of Justice

"Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace."

--John Lennon

Although our history bas unfortunately been rife with various forms of social conflict, the worst of these incidents have taken place within the last hundred years or so. We have been witness to at least one war or major atrocity in some corner of the world every day since the late 1800s. There have been numerous other unimaginable atrocities; from the selling of children into slavery; forcing children to fight in wars and/or subjecting them to deplorable labour conditions; the victimization of women and young girls in certain parts of the world (e.g., sex-trade industry); various war crime atrocities; crimes against humanity; to various political figures abusing their powers to serve their own political needs. Until recently, many of these crimes have been committed with impunity. We seem to be living in an era where social conflict and acts of inhumanity are the norm and not the exception!

While such acts have not gone unnoticed by the global community, efforts to maintain or establish peace (or the absence of hostilities) and law and order throughout the world have been an elusive construct. Its meaning has, in part, been limited by different cultural values and experiences. Yet, there have been a number of notable examples in which a varying number of states, Canada among them, have attempted to reach agreements in reducing conflicts to a minimum.

This article will examine one of the more recent efforts that has been established to peacefully resolve "the most serious crimes of international concern" (Rome Statute--Article 1). We will look at the history and role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and some of the controversy surrounding the relative effectiveness of the Court.

Historical Context for International Justice

Although there were several other international meetings regarding international issues prior to 1900, 1898 marked the world's first International Peace Conference held in The Hague in the Netherlands. The meeting, which was initiated by Czar Nicolas II of Russia, was intended to develop a protocol for settling international crises peacefully, preventing or reducing the risk of war, and codifying rules of warfare which included:

* prohibiting the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons or by other similar new methods,

* prohibiting the use of...