International Law and Justice and America's War on Terrorism

Traces the history of international law & the prosecution of war criminals & contrasts it to the recent US handling of terrorist prosecution. The 1945 London Agreement & Nuremberg trials, the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention of 1949, & various international conventions & UN tribunals have added depth to international law regarding grave breaches & crimes against humanity. International cooperation proves the feasibility of an International Criminal Court (ICC). The US, however, has displayed an uncooperative attitude toward the ICC & other international law obligations. Its establishment of military commissions to try the perpetrators of terrorism received a public outcry, & although some adjustments have been made, a better means of trial would be by US federal or military courts or by an ad hoc tribunal established by the Security Council. The opportunity for US leadership in establishing international justice is yet available if the US will take it. L. A. Hoffman