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War, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity - Legal Research Strategies and Tips

This guide is prepared for a law seminar class at Washington University School of Law

What resources are available on this topic in our law library?

The law library boasts an extensive collection of international law publications in print and offers access to top-tier subscription databases. Authoritative legal resources like legal encyclopedias, peer-reviewed journals, and case law databases are waiting, ready to bolster your arguments. When researching complex legal issues, a combination of print and online resources often provides the best outcome. 

Suggested Books

The law library's “Global War Crimes Tribunal” collection can be located via call number KZ1190.G56. This collection is located on the 2 second floor in the law library.  Once you have identified a book or call number that looks interesting, consider checking out the 'browse by call number' feature in the online catalog.Another option is to explore subject headings related to your book of interest.

 

Here are some sources worth consulting.

The FOUNDERS: FOUR PIONEERING INDIVIDUALS WHO LAUNCHED THE FIRST MODERN-AREA INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNALS, ed. by David M. Crane, Leila N. Sadat, Michael P. Scharf (2018).

1. JUDITH ARMATA, TWILIGHT OF IMPUNITY (2010)
2. JONATHAN HAFETZ, PUNISHING A TROCITIES THROUGH A FAIR TRIAL: INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW FROM           NUREMBERG TO  THE AGE OF GLOBAL TERRORISM (2018)
3. SAMANTHA POWER, A PROBLEM FROM HELL, AMERICA AND THE AGE OF GENOCIDE (2002)
4. LEILA NADYA SADAT, THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL C OURT AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF INTERNATIONAL       LAW (2002)
5. WILLIAM A. SCHABAS, THE UN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNALS (2006)
6. DAVID J. SCHEFFER, ALL THE MISSING SOULS (Princeton, 2012)
7. BETH VAN SCHAACK, IMAGINING JUSTICE FOR SYRIA (2021)

For digital access click here. 

These books offer a valuable insight to the  establishment and functions of the International Criminal court and ad hoc tribunals. 

Examples of LC subject headings you may be interested in exploring further:

International Criminal Court

International criminal courts -- Cases

International law -- Yugoslavia -- Cases.

Crimes against humanity

International crimes Criminal liability (International law)

Genocide

Political atrocities

Human rights

Crimes against humanity

Human rights and crimes against humanity

War crimes -- 4 Related Subjects (Lc)
1 -- See Also the narrower term Atrocities
--subdivision Atrocities under names of wars, e.g. World War, 1939-1945--Atrocities
2 -- See Also Crimes against humanity
3 -- See Also the narrower term Pillage
--subdivision Destruction and pillage under individual wars, e.g. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Destruction and pillage; World War, 1939-1945--Destruction and pillage
4 -- See Also the narrower term Rape as a weapon of war

War crimes -- Sudan -- Darfur

War crimes -- Ukraine

Ukraine: A selection of books in your library - as well as Library of Congress's guide to law online for Ukraine.

Books: 

Foreign country actions to place the Israel-Hamas conflict before international courts / Matthew C. Weed

Israel and Hamas : possible international criminal court (icc) arrest warrants / Matthew C. Weed, Jim Zanotti

The gates of Gaza [electronic resource] : critical voices from Israel on October 7 and the war with Hamas / edited by Lihi Ben Shitrit.

Israel, Iran, Hamas, and Lebanese Hezbollah : various strikes amid regional turmoil / Jim Zanotti, Clayton Thomas

Israel and Hamas [electronic resource] : Major Conflict After Surprise Attacks (IN12262) / Zanotti.

Feel free to search for  more sources on WorldCat/FirstSearch. This is an online catalog that offers access to library collections in the US and around the world. Feel free to request your item via an interlibrary loan request  if we do not have the item in our law library. 

Given the widespread availability of free international law materials on the internet, you should also consult these resources.