Attempts to summon Putin before the International Criminal Court have been a great illustration of the tension between what we want and what we have. Many of you will agree that political and military leaders need to urgently be brought to trial for war crimes and other international crimes and that this is a matter of priority, especially since government involvement makes these crimes all the more serious. However, prosecuting and adjudicating international crimes is not just complex for political reasons, according to Van der Wilt. Such crimes are committed in a certain context – in the fog of war or as part of a political struggle for power – that makes it difficult to determine exactly what happened and who is guilty.

Should an international court also take the historical causes of violence into account? And could the use of AI as a weapon of war mean that no one is ultimately culpable? These are some of the questions from  ongoing doctoral research projects that Van der Wilt will discuss in his speech.

Prof. H.G. van der Wilt, professor of International Criminal Law: The Trials and Tribulations of International Criminal Justice.