Can we achieve justice during war? Should law substitute for
realpolitik? Can an international court act against the global community 
that created it?

    Justice in a Time of War is a translation from the French of the first
complete, behind-the-scenes story of the International Criminal Tribunal
for the Former Yugoslavia, from its proposal by Balkan journalist Mirko
Klarin through recent developments in the trial of Slobodan Milošević. It
is also a meditation on the conflicting intersection of law and politics in
achieving justice and peace.

    Le Monde's review (November 3, 2000) of the original edition
recommended Hazan's book as a nuanced account of the Tribunal that 
should be a must-read for the new leaders of Yugoslavia. "The story 
Pierre Hazan tells is that of an institution which, over the course of the 
years, has managed to escape in large measure from the initial hidden 
motives and manipulations of those who created it (and not only the 
Americans)."

    With insider interviews filling out every scene, Hazan tells a chaotic
story of war that raged while the Western powers cobbled together a
tribunal in order to avoid actual intervention. The international lawyers
and judges for this rump world court started with nothing—but they 
ultimately established the tribunal as an unavoidable actor in the
Balkans. The West had created the Tribunal in 1993, hoping to threaten 
international criminals with indictment and thereby force an untenable 
peace. In 1999, the Tribunal suddenly became useful to NATO
countries as a means by which to criminalize Milošević's regime and to
justify military intervention in Kosovo and in Serbia. Ultimately, this 
hastened the end of Milošević's rule and led the way to history's first
war crimes trial of a former president by an international tribunal.

    Hazan's account of the Tribunal's formation and evolution questions
the contradictory policies of the Western powers and illuminates a
cautionary tale for the reader: realizing ideals in a world enamored of
realpolitik is a difficult and often haphazard activity.

_________________________________________________________

The author PIERRE HAZAN is a journalist with Libération in Paris and 
Le Temps in Geneva. He has covered The Hague and Arusha war
crimes tribunals in addition to the conflict in the Balkans and Rwanda.
He also covered many international crises in Afghanistan, Iraq, 
Cambodia, Sudan, the Middle East, and Somalia. He is currently 
working for the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. 
The author of three books, he has studied at the Center for Strategic 
Studies at Aberdeen University and the Post-Graduate Institute for 
International Studies in Geneva. JAMES THOMAS SNYDER, who 
translated the book, is a journalist and former U.S. Congressional aide.


Eugenia and Hugh M. Stewart '26 Series on Eastern Europe  



What people are saying about this book

"Pierre Hazan . . . has written an emotional and engaging account on 
the development of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former 
Yugoslavia . . . Pierre Hazan's work provides an  interesting and 
engaging account on the creation and works of this international tribunal. 
The book is blunt, emotional, and well documented in order to provide 
its readers with the ultimate  understanding for the existence of this court.'"
—International Journal of Legal Information, January 2006

"gripping reading . . . Hazan vividly depicts the powerful forces allied 
against the Court."—Times Literary Supplement

". . . an engaging and informative behind-the-scenes look at the 
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. . . . focuses 
on the fascinating interplay between the mounting horrors on the ground, 
the diplomatic maneuvering and the decisions of the court’s prosecutor. 
. . . ably demonstrates that when the search for justice is compromised 
by politics, the resulting impunity breeds contempt for the law. No such 
concise account of the Tribunal’s work yet exists in English and this 
book [fills] that gap brilliantly."—Reed Brody, Advocacy Director, Human 
Rights Watch, New York

"Blunt and unsparing yet fair and factual, this book sheds a revealing
light on the development of The Hague Tribunal, a new institution that is 
as vital to international life as it is unknown. Pierre Hazan tracks the 
transformation of the Tribunal and its prosecution of war crimes from 
humanitarian intervention. . . . The author's judgments are thoughtful, 
measured, and borne out by his documented facts. This glimpse of life 
'Inside the Tribunal' is invaluable and unique."—Roy Gutman

". . . gripping reading . . . Hazan vividly depicts the powerful forces 
allied against the Court."—Times Literary Supplement

"This is no doubt one of the best books so far written on international
criminal justice. . . . Every person interested in international relations
and world politics should read it."—Antonio Cassese, former Judge and
President, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia