The International Criminal Court was expected to deter atrocities. It is after all the world’s foremost and only permanent war crimes tribunal with near universal jurisdiction for such crimes. But its aspiration remains unmet as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and many others across the world rage.
Convictions at the ICC number few, acquittals many.
It is not easy to present the accused to the ICC because of the nature of their power position: they are usually senior political elite, state officials, or belligerent groups who wield significant power. Getting suspects to the courtroom, distant from the sites of crimes, is a tall order for a court that has no executive power or police force of its own.
