War Crimes and Atrocities: Prevention, Punishment and Mitigation efforts

War Crimes and Atrocities: Prevention, Punishment and Mitigation efforts

Thesis Statement

Lack of adequate enforcement mechanisms by International Law to arrest war crime and atrocities

Introduction

War crimes described as serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflicts, giving rise to individual criminal accountability. These illicit activities include the “murder, the banishment or ill-treatment of civilian residents of an occupied territory to slave labor camps” (Solish 2010). It also includes the ill-treatment or murder of prisoner of wars, the reckless destruction of towns, cities, and villages or any devastation not acceptable by armed forces or civilian's necessity (Solish 2010). Crime wars and atrocities are the result of violations by the victorious leaders after the war which is also against the International law. However, International agencies have begun to regularize and codified the rules and regulation for the prevention of war crimes and atrocities. Various steps took by an International committee to combat the issue, and Geneva Convention was the first step for that which resulted in treatment of prisoners of war, civilians and other things during wars. The other crucial turning point came at Tokyo and Nuremberg trials of leading Japanese and German officials after World War II. The Nuremberg trials were mostly important because they made major steps to define the crimes against peace and humanity. It included planning, preparation, and initiation of war in violation to International treaties with that of murder, enslavement, extermination and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian during war. There has been a big question on International law, and International Criminal court that are lacking in implementing particular regulations to control war crimes and atrocities. Many critics believe there are flaws and loopholes in the system which lacks the sufficient mechanism to implement the decision making system.

Discussion

The International Law is taking measure to enhance prevention to the threat of mass war crimes and atrocities. United States have taken a major step in this regard by initiation of the independent body “Atrocities Prevention Board” to bring greater coherence and timeliness to system. The board initiative is to control then mass atrocities and war crimes and the sole focus of the board is on this threat. Prevention is the greatest challenge in regard to war crimes and atrocities to the International committee (Rotberg, 2010). The first step taken by them is the prevention of atrocities and war crimes in presidential priority, which provides a high level of budget to U.S. military and civilian agencies to plan and prepare for this mission. Secondly, the prevention major is also directive to the intelligence community to improve its support for the prevention of war crimes and atrocities. This is a difficult task to predict the outbreak of atrocities but scholars in recent years improved understanding of telltale risk factors, such as the ethnic polarization and leadership instability which can help in early warnings related to war crimes and atrocities. Models by many scholars also helped analyst within the intelligence diplomats in ...