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 of the seminal text 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. Written by a leading commentator, it is an authoritative and up-to-date introduction to the legal issues involved in the creation and operation of the Court.

Author Biography

William A. Schabas OC MRIA is Professor of International Law at Middlesex University, London, and Professor of International Criminal Law and Human Rights at Leiden University. His numerous publications include Genocide in International Law: The Crime of Crimes, 2nd edition (Cambridge, 2009), The Abolition of the Death Penalty in International Law, 3rd edition (Cambridge, 2002), The UN International Criminal Tribunals: The Former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone (Cambridge, 2006), The International Criminal Court: A Commentary on the Rome Statute (2010), Unimaginable Atrocities: Justice, Politics, and Rights at the War Crimes Tribunals (2012), The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The Travaux Preparatoires (Cambridge, 2013), The European Convention on Human Rights: A Commentary (2015) and The Cambridge Companion to International Criminal Law (Cambridge, 2016).