The internationalization of justice : a case for the universal application of international criminal law norms

The universal norms of international criminal law that have developed set absolute minimum standards of acceptable behaviour. Failure to observe these must not be tolerated, as this would represent a failure of the rule of law and thus undermine the very premise of existing (and emerging) legal responsibilities, such as the "responsibility to protect" populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity endorsed at the World Summit" held in New York in September 2005 and recently reaffirmed by the Security Council. The universal nature of international human rights and international criminal law norms forms the foundation of the international community's continuing attempts to strengthen the effectiveness of the rule of law. In certain instances, regionalization may even help to advance the development and enforcement of these international criminal norms. It may also contribute to the emergence of further norms, reflecting the international community's ever-increasing awareness of the sanctity of an individual's human rights and the importance of putting to an end "impunity for the perpetrators of [international crimes] and thus [contributing] to the prevention of such crimes". Regionalization cannot, however, be used as a means of turning our back on the important principles that have emerged out of the ashes of past conflicts.