International Law

International Law • UN International Tribunals: • Due to the massive violations of human rights in the former Yugoslavia, the UN Security Council established an International War Crimes Tribunal in 1993 • Purpose: to bring to trial persons accused of war crimes in that conflict • This second tribunal was established in 1996, this tribunal was set up to hear cases involving the genocide that occurred in Rwanda • 1998 this tribunal handed down the first-ever verdict by an international court on the crime of genocide, as well as the first-ever sentence • Canadian Louise Arbour was chief prosecutor of the International War Crimes Tribunal from 1996 to 1999 • Dealt with bringing those involved in Rwanda to justice

International Law II (Green) Parties {members} (Yellow) States which have signed but not ratified the Statute (Red) UN member states which have neither signed nor acceded to the Statute • International Criminal Court (ICC): • 1998, it finally became possible to punish mass violations of human rights with the establishment of the ICC • The ICC was a tool for the world to see that those who commit horrible crimes against humanity, that they would be held responsible • 120 countries voted in favor of the ICC; exceptions included the USA • Do not want their soldiers and leaders subject to an international court… • The ICC consists of 18 judges elected over a 9 year term, as well as a team of prosecutors & investigators • ICC has jurisdiction over such things as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression

The Future of NATO • Following the collapse of the Cold War, there were many people who no longer saw the value in a collective defence alliance • September 11, 2001 changed this view • NATO has more relevance since then, however, there are those that believe that the Americans – with their unrivalled military power – no longer need NATO

NATO actions since the cold war Heavily involved in the Balkans, in 1999 NATO carried out a bombing campaign against Serbia to prevent the ethnic cleansing that was being attempted against ethnic Albanians NATO has also completed a mission that brought order to the new democracy of Macedonia Currently, NATO is now keeping peace in Kosovo and Bosnia, as well as being involved in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan

NATO membership • April 1999, NATO enlarged its membership to include Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary • Some critics say adding more to NATO will dilute the alliance • NATO has adopted seven more countries since 1999 • Other critics argue that adding new smaller countries will bring niche capabilities • New members have pledged 200,000 new troops to the alliance

NATO-RUSSIA council • May 2002, in Rome, President (w) Bush, President Putin, and NATO heads of state and government formally met to establish the NATO-Russia Council • NATO & Russia have worked alongside each other on projects such as: • Combating terrorism • Peacekeeping • Civil emergency planning • Nuclear non-proliferation (don’t allow for the spread of)

Prague 2002 • November 2002, NATO members met at a summit in Prague to discuss reforms to NATO • Agreed to the Prague Capabilities Commitment: • European Allies agreed to “spend smarter”, pool their resources, and pursue specialization • NATO also agreed to the NATO Response Force: • NATO’s forces would be organized into highly-ready land, air, and sea forces capable of carrying out missions anywhere in the world • 25,000 troops, and would be able to deploy on 30 days notice • Also, in Prague, NATO accepted seven new democracies: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Lovakia, and Slovenia • These democracies had previously worked alongside NATO to encourage political, economic, and military reform

International Law