The Conflict

When violent conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda went beyond the pale of human endurance—involving the torture, rape, and massacre of groups of people—the international community, under the auspices of the United Nations, felt obliged to intervene. Creating ad hoc tribunals in the Hague and Tanzania, this international court system has tried individuals for their war crimes and held them accountable. A permanent international war crimes court is being established at the Hague, which, if successful, should handle war crimes more quickly and efficiently than the temporary tribunals.

Political

• The Fourth Geneva Convention, agreed upon by the UN General Assembly in 1949 and known formally as the Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, required UN nations...