This is the first major study to evaluate the transitional justice programme in Sierra Leone. Rather than focusing on a single mechanism, the authors examine how the Special Court, Truth and Reconciliation Commission ... more abstractThis is the first major study to evaluate the transitional justice programme in Sierra Leone. Rather than focusing on a single mechanism, the authors examine how the Special Court, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), local justice initiatives and reparations programme interacted. Contributors to the book include the Prosecutor of the Special Court and one of the Commissioners from the TRC, alongside a range of experts on transitional justice, on international law and on Sierra Leone. The authors consider the political and normative drivers of transitional justice and the lessons that the Sierra Leone programme stands to offer other post-conflict situations. The importance of long-term planning, local partnership and the management of the politics and trade-offs for future transitional justice programmes cannot be underestimated. This edited volume makes a significant contribution to the field by demonstrating how contextual knowledge should be used alongside normative standards when evaluating transitional justice.

International Law, Transitional Justice, Sierra Leone, International Criminal Justice, and Post Conflict Issues

The book is a study of the concepts of agency and responsibility, responding to the lack of explicit consideration of these notions in contemporary international political theory (IPT). In it, I develop an original th... more abstractThe book is a study of the concepts of agency and responsibility, responding to the lack of explicit consideration of these notions in contemporary international political theory (IPT). In it, I develop an original theoretical viewpoint by critically analysing assumptions about agency and responsibility within mainstream IPT, and supplementing my analysis with insights from select literature within the fields of philosophy, sociology and social psychology. The objective of the book is to provide a more nuanced account of agency and responsibility in the international sphere, and to think through the implications of such an account for ongoing theorising and practice. The core argument I advance is that the individualist conceptions of agency and responsibility inherent in liberal and cosmopolitan liberal thought are highly problematic, serve political purposes which are often unacknowledged, and have led to the establishment of an international institutional regime which is limited in the kind of justice it can bring to international affairs. I outline alternative views of agency and responsibility – agency as sociality and a social practice model of responsibility – which both better describe the way we talk about and experience our social lives, and offer significant possibilities to broaden the scope of international justice and, through this, enable human flourishing.

International Relations, Ethics, and International Relations Theory

More Info: Under review

A well-established and popular text which provides systematic coverage of the classical concerns of International Relations theory – power, national interest, foreign policy and war – alongside analysis of the impact ... more abstractA well-established and popular text which provides systematic coverage of the classical concerns of International Relations theory – power, national interest, foreign policy and war – alongside analysis of the impact of globalization on security, governance and the world economy. A central concern throughout is to show how the theories the authors outline and assess can help make sense of the puzzle of current world events, from the rise of Russia and China, the downturn in the world economy and the changing role of America to the challenges of identity politics and human rights. Reviews: 'An excellent new edition which reinforces the book's place as my preferred text for students new to International Relations. Accessible and compelling without glossing over the complexity of the issues, the fourth edition has been impressively updated to take account of real-world and theoretical developments.' Anthony F. Lang, Jr, University of St Andrews. '[A] very appealing book... The text succeeds in giving a clear account of all the main theoretical possibilities and, in a non-judgemental but not uncritical way, setting them in context... I can think of no book more likely to succeed in persuading a sceptical undergraduate - someone convinced of the existence of a self-evident world of facts - that not only is a knowledge of theory necessary to understand international relations, but it is fun.' - James Mayall, Review of International Studies

International Relations and International Relations Theory

More Info: Co-authored with Chris Brown

Affairs

Publication Date: 2015

Publication Name: International Affairs

Publication Date: 2015

Publication Name: Evaluating Transitional Justice

Publication Date: 2015

Publication Name: Evaluating Transitional Justice

Publication Date: 2015

Publication Name: Evaluating Transitional Justice

Publication Date: 2015

Publication Name: Evaluating Transitional Justice

Political Science and Public Administration and Policy

Publication Date: 2002

Publication Name: Millennium - Journal of International Studies

Since 1945 responsibility for atrocity has been individualized, and international tribunals and courts have been given effective jurisdiction over it. This article argues that the move to individual responsibility lea... more abstractSince 1945 responsibility for atrocity has been individualized, and international tribunals and courts have been given effective jurisdiction over it. This article argues that the move to individual responsibility leaves significant ‘excesses’ of responsibility for war crimes unaccounted for. When courts do attempt to recognize the collective nature of war crime perpetration, through the doctrines of ‘command responsibility’, ‘joint criminal enterprise’ and ‘state responsibility’, the application of these doctrines has, it is argued, limited or perverse effects. The article suggests that instead of expecting courts to allocate excesses of responsibility, other accountability mechanisms should be used alongside trials to allocate political (rather than legal) responsibility for atrocity. The mechanisms favored here are ‘Responsibility and Truth Commissions’, i.e. well-resourced non-judicial commissions which are mandated to hold to account individual and collective actors rather than simply to provide an account of past violence.

International Law, International Criminal Law, Transitional Justice, War Crimes, and Crimes Against Humanity

Publication Date: 2011

Publication Name: Ethics and International Affairs 5:4 pp 407-431

More than thirty years after the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of over one and a half million people, and after two amnesties for Khmer Rouge crimes were enacted in Cambodia, the Extraordinary Chambers in... more abstractMore than thirty years after the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of over one and a half million people, and after two amnesties for Khmer Rouge crimes were enacted in Cambodia, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) has been established, ostensibly to help heal the trauma of victims of Khmer Rouge atrocities and bring about justice. This chapter outlines the key features of the ECCC and assesses its successes and failures according to its own mandate. It goes on, however, to argue that accepting the restricted mandate of the court is a mistake, as it prevents a full discussion of accountability in Cambodia. I argue that the establishment of the ECCC represents less a victory for victims or for advocates of transitional justice than it is a reflection of the interests of the Cambodian government and those international actors who collaborated with a series of repressive regimes in Cambodia, including the current Hun Sen regime. By agreeing to a limited regime of transitional justice, the government has diverted diplomatic and donor attention away from allegations of corruption and human rights abuses in the present, towards its role as ‘saviour of the nation’ in the past. The international community is keen (now) to promote justice in Cambodia, and has significant resources available with which to incentivise or coerce domestic actors to allow a fair and independent court, but seems unwilling to use them. Unfortunately, international principle has coincided with domestic power in a way that does little for the victims of atrocities in whose name the ECCC was established.

International Law, International Criminal Law, Genocide Studies, Cambodia, Transitional Justice, and 1 more

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Publication Date: Jan 2014

Publication Name: Renee Jeffery and Hun Joon Kim eds. Transitional Justice in the Asia-Pacific

This article assesses the structure and operation of the ICC by setting out a case for the defence of the Court, a case for its prosecution and a verdict. Defenders of the Court suggest it has had a positive impact be... more abstractThis article assesses the structure and operation of the ICC by setting out a case for the defence of the Court, a case for its prosecution and a verdict. Defenders of the Court suggest it has had a positive impact because: it has accelerated moves away from politics and towards ethics in international relations; it goes a long way towards ending impunity; it is a significant improvement on the previous system of ad hoc tribunals; it has positive spill-over effects onto domestic criminal systems; and because the courage of the Prosecutor and Trial Judges has helped to establish the Court as a force to be reckoned with. Opponents of the Court see it as mired in power politics, too reliant on the UNSC and on state power to be truly independent; failing to bring peace and perhaps even encouraging conflict; and starting to resemble a neo-colonial project rather than an impartial organ of justice. The verdict on the Court is mixed. It has gone some way to ending impunity and it is certainly an improvement on the ad hoc tribunals. However it is inevitably a political body rather than a purely legal institution, its use as a deterrent is as yet unproven and the expectation that it can bring peace as well as justice is unrealistic.

International Law, International Criminal Law, and International Criminal Court

More Info: Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 2011, 24 (3). pp. 309-333.

Publication Date: 2011

Publication Name: Cambridge Review of International Affairs 24:3 pp 309-333

One of the most significant developments in contemporary International Relations (IR) has been the revival of interest in arguments concerning ethics, but the most interesting critiques of contemporay liberalism from ... more abstractOne of the most significant developments in contemporary International Relations (IR) has been the revival of interest in arguments concerning ethics, but the most interesting critiques of contemporay liberalism from the point of view of international ethics – critiques of the notion of moral obligation itself, put forward by virtue ethicists – have in large part been missed.To understand why the critiques of virtue ethicists matter for international relations and for International Relations, this article first sets out the problem they are responding to. Virtue ethicists argue that the notion of moral obligation employed in contemporary liberalism and, therefore, Western life is foundationless, and that trying to live by rules without foundations can lead to harm. This position is briefly explored through a discussion of the increasing reliance on rules in the form of law in IR, and some recent criticism of the effect of rule-based international action. The article moves on to discuss what virtue ethicists offer in the place of obligation: a focus on character, practical reason and human flourishing, all situated in social contexts. There follows an outline of the few attempts that have been made to relate virtue ethics (VE) to IR, and a discussion of possibilities for future research into this innovative approach. The argument throughout is that a concern with virtue offers us an original way to think about the kind of ethical dilemmas that we face in international relations and IR, by moving away from an unrealistic and ultimately doomed search for universal rules and moral stability and towards the much more challenging, dynamic and rewarding endeavour of developing the practical judgment to answer questions about what it means, as individuals and as groups, located in time and place and politics, to live life well.

Ethics, Virtue Ethics, and Alasdair MacIntyre

More Info: Work in progress, presented at Thinking Without Borders conference, St Andrews, July 2010

Video of the American Bar Association discussion of our new book 'Evaluating Transitional Justice' http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/?K=9781137468215

International Law, Transitional Justice, Sierra Leone, International Criminal Justice, and Post Conflict Issues

This Centre for International Studies roundtable examined the issues raised by the accession of Palestine to the International Criminal Court, including the implications of the accession for Palestine, for the ICC and... more abstractThis Centre for International Studies roundtable examined the issues raised by the accession of Palestine to the International Criminal Court, including the implications of the accession for Palestine, for the ICC and for the peace process, and the likelihood of ever seeing prosecutions at the ICC for breaches of international criminal law during the 2014 Israeli attacks on Gaza or connected with the Israeli settlement policy, or for rocket attacks by Hamas. Speakers included: Dr Chantal Meloni; Dr Michael Kearney; Dr Leslie Vinjamuri; Dr Mark Kersten; Dr Dov Jacobs; Professor Kevin Jon Heller Chair: Kirsten Ainley More details of Centre for International Studies events can be found here: http://www.lse.ac.uk/internationalRelations/centresandunits/CIS/cis_dialogues.aspx

International Law, International Criminal Law, Israel/Palestine, and International Criminal Court

Centre for International Studies event held at LSE, June 2014. Chair: Kirsten Ainley, Director of LSE CIS. Speakers: Leslie Vinjamuri, Associate Professor in IR & Co-Director of CCRJ, SOAS. Mark Kersten, Resear... more abstractCentre for International Studies event held at LSE, June 2014. Chair: Kirsten Ainley, Director of LSE CIS. Speakers: Leslie Vinjamuri, Associate Professor in IR & Co-Director of CCRJ, SOAS. Mark Kersten, Researcher, LSE. Justiceinconflict.org. Dov Jacobs, Assistant Professor of Intl Law, Grotius Centre. Jason Ralph, Professor of IR, University of Leeds. Kevin Jon Heller, Professor of Criminal Law, SOAS. More information at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/internationalRelations/centresandunits/CIS/event_reports/cis_syria_dialogue.aspx

International Criminal Court, Syria, and International Criminal Justice

Interview at Hague Institute for Global Justice 'Transatlantic Dialogue on the Responsibility to Protect', 2nd July 2014

International Criminal Court, Humanitarian Intervention, and Responsibility to Protect

Time: 5 PM to 7 PM

Event Date: May 1, 2012

Organization: Oxford Transitional Justice Research Network

Blog post on Joe Hoover's outstanding new book 'Reconstructing Human Rights'

Human Rights and Political Violence

Blog post on ICC's role in Colombian peace process

Colombia, International Criminal Court, and Peace Negotiation

An analysis of reactions to the verdicts in Case 002/01 at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.

International Law, International Criminal Law, Cambodia, and Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia