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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.

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

War crimes -- Ukraine

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

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

Still not satisfied? Feel free to search for 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 international law materials on the internet at no cost you will of course also need to consult these resources as well. 

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.