This book tackles one of the most contentious aspects of international criminal law – the modes of liability. At the heart of the discussion is the quest for balance between the accused's individual contribution and the collective nature of mass offending. The principle of legality demands that there exists a well-defined link between the crime and the person charged with it. This is so even in the context of international offending, which often implies 'several degrees of separation' between the direct perpetrator and the person who authorises the atrocity. The challenge is to construct that link without jeopardising the interests of justice. This monograph provides the first comprehensive treatment of complicity within the discipline and beyond. Extensive analysis of the pertinent statutes and jurisprudence reveals gaps in interpreting accessorial liability. Simultaneously, the study of complicity becomes a test for the general methods and purposes of international criminal law. The book exposes problems with the sources of law and demonstrates the absence of clearly defined sentencing and policy rationales, which are crucial tools in structuring judicial discretion. Awarded The Paul Guggenheim Prize in International Law 2017!

Anchored by the normative framework, this book aims to clarify the basis for individual criminal liability for persons who finance entities that perpetrate core crimes. The objective of this monograph is to clarify the rules to enable international courts and tribunals to identify the extent to which individual criminal liability attaches to the financing of core crimes, as well as the legal basis for such liability. By clarifying the criminal liability of individual who finance entities that perpetrate core crimes, this book also seeks to clarify the mental elements of the mode of liability of aiding and abetting. This is achieved through a thorough analysis of the applicable rules in the international arena, as well as through the comparative analysis.

This book is concerned with the commercial exploitation of armed conflict; it is about money, war, atrocities and economic actors, about the connections between them, and about responsibility. It aims to clarify the legal framework that defines these connections and gives rise to criminal or, in some instances, civil responsibility, referring both to mechanisms for international criminal justice, such as the International Criminal Court, and domestic systems. It considers which economic actors among individuals, businesses, governments and States should be held accountable and before which forum. Additionally, it addresses the question of how to recover illegally acquired profits and redirect them to benefit the victims of war. The chapters shine a critical light on the options provided by a network of laws to ensure that the 'great industrialists' of our time, who find economic opportunities in the war-ravaged lives of others, are unable to pursue those opportunities with impunity.

This engaging primer presents the field of International Criminal Law (ICL) in new and accessible ways. It provides a concise summary of key ICL doctrines while also raising novel and interdisciplinary perspectives. It targets a wide range of audiences, including law and other graduate students studying international law and related disciplines, such as human rights, transitional justice, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution. The book will also be useful for those working in the field--including diplomats, mediators, government officials, and negotiators--who need to understand the foundations and core concepts of ICL. It offers a useful primer for someone new to the field, and provides thought-provoking discussions for more seasoned practitioners. Part I introduces the domain of ICL. Specific chapters are devoted to the different strands of the field's history; the web of institutions that apply and interpret ICL; how the rules of international law generally, and ICL in particular, are created; theories that attempt to explain why certain crimes are subject to international regulation; and the unique challenges posed by the principle of legality within ICL. Part II is devoted to the intersecting elements of the major crimes recognized by international law (war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, aggression, and terrorism), the unique development of modes of liability under international law (including superior responsibility, complicity, co-perpetration, and joint criminal enterprise), and some of the defenses that might be deployed to block or mitigate liability (immunities, amnesties, and excuses). The text ends with two synthesis chapters. The first provides an in-depth case study of Syria to illustrate the way in which members of the international community can attempt to invoke, and block access to, the architecture of ICL and related accountability mechanisms. The second revisits some of the fundamental objectives underlying ICL, the more trenchant critiques of the project of international justice, and the breadth of creativity underlying alternative mechanisms developed under the cognate fields of transitional justice and conflict resolution. More than a hornbook, the text goes beyond a straight doctrinal discussion of ICL and offers insightful and provocative insights into the field. In so doing, it highlights points of intersection and divergence within core doctrines and offers a candid assessment of challenges in the field and opportunities for growth and development.

Presently, many of the greatest debates and controversies in international criminal law concern modes of liability for international crimes. The state of the law is unclear, to the detriment of accountability for major crimes and of the uniformity of international criminal law. The present book aims at clarifying the state of the law and provides a thorough analysis of the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals, as well as of the debates and the questions these debates have left open. Renowned international criminal law scholars analyze, in discrete chapters, the modes of liability one by one; for each mode they identify the main trends in the jurisprudence and the main points of controversy. An introduction addresses the cross-cutting issues, and a conclusion anticipates possible evolutions that we may see in the future. The research on which this book is based was undertaken with the Geneva Academy.