A legal history for Australia

Abstract

pitilessly with no end in sight, international legal jurists and government officials across the globe are calling for the trial of Russian offenders at the International Criminal Court and the convening of an international tribunal on the crime of aggression. In other words, in the most significant military conflict in Europe since the Second World War, the world is looking once again to the example of Nuremberg for inspiration. Its relevance to humanitarian law in our era could not be clearer. This book is, I think, at its best in its insistence on trimming the sails of our expectations to milder winds. Defeating the impunity of state actors has always been a tall order. It remains a tall order in Ukraine; the prospect of trying Vladimir Putin or members of his government for war crimes or the crime of aggression appears far-fetched. Still, that impunity has been and can still be defeated, as the authors demonstrate, provides realistic grounds for hope. So long as our sail catches the occasional breath of wind, we can move forward toward other latitudes of justice where evil is punished and the righteous prevail.