War Crimes Prosecutions in the Former Yugoslavia: The Pitfalls and Promise of International…

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During the 1990s, in the three horrific wars that occurred in the former Yugoslavia, mass ethnically-motivated crimes were committed, resulting in over a hundred thousand fatalities. In 1993, the U.N. Security Council created the first ad hoc international criminal tribunal to bring some justice for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Today, domestic courts in the former Yugoslavia are also pursuing cases. The pitfalls and promise of international justice can be measured through the successes and failures of these international and local tribunals. Equally important are non-prosecutorial methods by which former enemies attempt to ascertain the truth as to the crimes committed, reform their institutions, and attempt to live together again (perhaps achieving reconciliation). This course will introduce students to the mechanisms of international justice and transitional justice – efforts to overcome hostilities and ensure peace in societies emerging from periods of violence. It will then examine how well such mechanisms are actually functioning in the context of the former Yugoslavia. Students will gain an overview of this process from a variety of distinct perspectives.