Abstract
It is generally agreed that international law is based on the consent of states. In other words, states, and the intergovernmental organizations they create, are the main units of international law, which thus governs the interactions between the states as legitimate actors. However, in rare instances, a natural person may become a subject of international law; in other words, international law prescribes rules that apply to real persons as well. International criminal law is a body of law that generates rules that govern certain acts committed by real persons. With the exception of these rules, a real person’s acts are generally governed by national laws.
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Notes
- 1.
There is a vast literature on various aspects of international criminal law. Among others, see the following: Ilias Bantekas and Susan Nash, International Criminal Law (London: Cavendish, 2001); M. Cherif Bassiouni, (ed.), Introduction to International Criminal Law (Ardsley NY: Transnational Publishers, 2003); International Criminal Law (Ardsley, NY: Transnational Publishers, 1998); (ed.), International Criminal Law, 3 vols. (Ardsley‑on‑Hudson: Transnational Publishers, 1986); International Criminal Law: A Draft International Criminal Code (Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands; Germantown, MD: Sijthoff & Noordhoff, 1980); Bassiouni and Ved P. Nanda (compiled and edited), A Treatise on International Criminal Law (Springfield, IL: Thomas, 1973); Antonio Cassesse, International Criminal Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003); Rodney Dixon, Karim Kahn and Richard May (eds.), Archbold: International Criminal Courts: Practice, Procedure and Evidence (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2002); Sterling Johnson, Peace Without Justice? Hegemonic Instability or International Criminal Law (Aldershot, Hants, UK; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2003); Kriangsak Kittichaisaree, International Criminal Law (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2001); Helen Malcolm and Rodney Dixon (eds.), International Criminal Law Reports (London: Cameron May, 2000); Donald W. van Ness, International Standards and Norms Relating to Criminal Justice: Conventions, Guidelines, Rules and Recommendations Promulgated by the United Nations, Council of Europe, Organization of American States, Organization of African Unity and Commonwealth of Nations (Bethesda, MD: Pike & Fischer, 1997); Jordan J. Paust, Leila Sadat and M. Cherif Bassiouni (eds.), International Criminal Law: Cases and Materials (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2000), Geert-Jan A. Knoops, The Prosecution and Defense of Peacekeepers Under International Criminal Law (Ardsley, NY: Transnational Publishers, 2003); Bruce Broomhall, International Justice and the International Criminal Court: Between Sovereignty and the Rule of Law (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2003); Christoph Safferling, Towards an International Criminal Procedure (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001); Iain Cameron, The Protective Principle of International Criminal Jurisdiction (Aldershot, UK; Brookfield, VT: Dartmouth Pub. Co., 1994).
- 2.
For a detailed account of the relationship between state sovereignty and international criminal law, see, among others, Jackson Nyamuya Maogoto, State Sovereignty and International Criminal Law: Versailles to Rome (Ardsley, NY: Transnational Publishers, 2003).
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Çakmak, C. (2017). Historical Background: Evolution of International Criminal Law, Individual Criminal Accountability, and the Idea of a Permanent International Court. In: A Brief History of International Criminal Law and International Criminal Court. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56736-9_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56736-9_1
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