- Editor-in-Chief
- Richard H. Steinberg, J.D., Ph.D.
- Managing Editor
- Christopher Werby, J.D.
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Associate Editors
Current -
Associate Editors
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- Leeran Abukasis
- Aaron Acosta
- Daniel Alborrie
- Frankie Allegra
- Adrian Almaguer
- Alison Angoff
- Katie Aragón
- Anush Singh Arvind
- Daniel Aspinwall
- Nicholas Baltaxe
- Kiana Banafshe
- Eszter Boldis
- Maarja Boulos
- Isaac Brown
- Pankhuri Budhiraja
- Chris Bulut
- James Burroughs
- Emily Calmeyer
- Regina Campbell
- Tina Carlile
- Jordyn Yian Cho
- Brian Daley
- Collin DeBrabander
- Chaya Dembitzer
- Olivia Diab
- Jenevieve Discar
- Scott A. Exner
- Paige Farris
- Cyprien Fluzin
- Erin Nicole French
- Monal Gera
- Kimia Ghalambor
- Lorien Giles
- Emily Given
- Alexandra Glazer
- Hope Glembo
- Elio Gonzalez
- Paulina Gonzalez
- Andrew Grant
- David C. Griffith
- John Griffith
- Maria Nava Gutierrez
- Janina Heller
- Stephen E. Helmeci
- Adam Hoskins
- Belinda Hyland
- Claudia Iseli
- Mahak Jain
- Jessica James
- Richard Jeng
- Jacqueline Kallberg
- Melis Kilic
- Daniel Kim
- Eric Kim
- Patrick King
- David Kramer
- Abishek Kumar
- Cecilia Kusterman
- Karen Kwok
- Mia Lattanzi
- David Lee
- Joshua Lee
- Sharlene Lee
- Annette Lin
- Chris Lin
- Sara Liss
- John Litwin
- Grace Lo
- Dania Lopez
- Sean Lowe
- Chani Maoz
- Scott McDonald
- Colleen McElroy
- Jill Mierke
- Nell G. Moley
- Marisa Muma
- Anjani Nadadur
- Madhavi Narayanan
- Brittany Newell
- Jessica Peake
- Alma Pekmezovic
- Faust Petkovich
- Sebastian Poulsen
- Sandeep Prasanna
- Mehrunisa Ranjha
- Rory Razi
- Eric Renslo
- Jake Richardson
- Sydney Robles
- Katelyn Rowe
- Cecilia Rubalcava
- Simon Ruhland
- Dalia Saffideen
- Christopher Sanchez
- Morgan Schneer
- Eric Sezgen
- Benjamin Shea
- Margaret Sheerin
- Sydney Siwinski
- Ahmad Soliman
- Alexandra Grace Speed
- John Stone
- Heaven Strouse
- Tanya Sukhija
- Ramya Swami
- Ashley Sykora
- Shirin Tavakoli
- Dan Terzian
- Morgan V. Thompson
- Jonathan Tobin
- Enrico Santos Trevisani
- Kimberly Turner
- Forrest Tym
- Jessica Wade
- Devin Yaeger
- Zishan Yu
- Xuchen Zhang
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Online Forum Coordinator,
Special Lecture Debates - Diane H. Steinberg, Ph.D.
- Design & Operations
- Web Work
- Pipsqueak Productions, LLC
Introduction to the Forum
This Forum is run by Dr. Richard H. Steinberg of UCLA School of Law (UCLA Law) with the support of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC OTP).
The purpose of the Forum is to allow members of the legal community, governments, academics, and others to debate complex issues of international criminal law faced by the Office of the Prosecutor in the course of its work at the ICC. Membership and participation in this Forum are open to everyone. We welcome you to express your opinion, and we request a civil debate which directly addresses the legal issue set forth in the current question.
Since its inception in 2002, the ICC has advanced international justice and human rights by embracing new developments in human rights law. As with any emerging body of law, it is important to gather as much insight as possible on highly contested issues. And what better way to share insight than through the Internet?
The Forum will deal with one substantive legal issue at a time in the form of a question—we anticipate addressing five questions a year. The questions are developed jointly by the ICC OTP and UCLA Law. Some of the world’s preeminent legal experts on the issue raised by the questions will be invited to give their opinions. The relevant decisions of the Prosecutor or the Judges of the ICC will also be included. Those opinions, in turn, provide a strong foundation for further online discussion.
We invite every interested person to register and post their own views on the question in a courteous and polite manner. Posts should be on-point. The Forum does not permit hate speech or ad hominem attacks.
Posts which violate the Rules and Guidelines will be promptly removed. Posters who violate the guidelines may be prohibited from further postings. The subject matter that concerns the ICC (crimes against humanity, genocide, gender crimes, and so on) is adult in nature, and accordingly this Forum is not appropriate for children.
This Forum is not an opinion poll. It is about allowing voices to be heard, but not counted. The number of posts for or against a certain point of view is not relevant here. What’s compelling is the argument. While the ICC OTP will be informed by the Forum, the Forum is obviously not intended to direct the OTP’s actions.
You’re free to read the Forum anonymously, but to join the discussion, you must register with your real name and email address. Your email address is not publicly displayed, pursuant to our Privacy Policy Statement. The Forum has an internal messaging system and will serve as an intermediary between member conversations, unless those members choose otherwise. Each member may have an optional biographical profile. Spamming or advertising services is not permitted.
Your first few comments won’t be displayed until approved by our staff. After you’re a trusted member, your posts will no longer require advance approval.
By posting on this Forum, an unrestricted license to edit, publish, and republish the material is granted to the Regents of the University of California without restriction of any kind. Some issues discussed in the Forum may be compiled into book or article format for distribution.
UCLA Law hopes that this Forum will help provide clarity on the legal positions of difficult, novel and complex issues facing the International Criminal Court. Please join us. We look forward to reading your contribution.
Web work on the Forum is by Pipsqueak Productions. If you have feedback or other comments, please send email to info@iccforum.com.
The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law is the center of human rights education, research, and advocacy at UCLA and around the region. Founded with a visionary $20 million gift in 2017, The Promise Institute at UCLA Law trains the next generation of human rights lawyers and leaders, generates vital scholarship, and develops programs for on-the-ground assistance to address the most pressing contemporary human rights concerns of our times—from race and migration to the environment and technology, matters which resonate with its location in Los Angeles, and which are reshaping our world.
The Promise Institute brings together faculty with expertise and experience in international human rights, immigration, national and international security, civil rights, constitution writing, the laws of armed conflict, transnational and international criminal justice, environmental law and public interest law, and maintains a focus on broad accountability for human rights violations and international crimes. The Promise Institute supports curricular expansion, bringing leading scholars to campus.
Students engaged with The Promise Institute gain a strong foundation in human rights law and have the opportunity to participate in clinics, experiential programs and other endeavors that enhance their educational experience and prepare them for impactful careers in the field. The Institute supports a diverse program of scholarship and fellowship programs, as well as activities and publications that will serve as fora for international human rights lawyers and scholars from UCLA and beyond.
Richard H. Steinberg
Richard Steinberg is the Jonathan D. Varat Endowed Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science at UCLA, where he writes and teaches in the areas of international law and international relations, with a focus on international economic law, international criminal law, and human rights.
He is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Member of United States Trade Representative’s Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee, Chair of the International Trade Law Committee of the American Branch of the International Law Association, Director of Trade Policy Research at the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE) at UC Berkeley, and Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning ICC Forum.
Professor Steinberg has served as Counselor to the American Society of International Law, on the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law (2004–2014), and on the Editorial Board of International Organization (2003–2012). He has taught law courses on six continents including at Stanford Law School, the University of California Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law, Sciences Po (Institut d’Etudes Politiques) in France, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the University of São Paulo in Brazil.
Dr. Steinberg has written over sixty articles and book chapters on international law. Recent books include: The International Criminal Court: Contemporary Challenges and Reform Proposals (Brill/Nijhoff, 2020);Contemporary Issues Facing the International Criminal Court (Brill/Nijhoff, 2016);Assessing the Legacy of the ICTY (Martinus Nijhoff, 2011; BCS translation, ICTY, 2011);International Institutions (co-edited) (SAGE, 2009);International Law and International Relations (co-edited) (Cambridge University Press, 2007); and The Evolution of the Trade Regime: Economics, Law, and Politics of the GATT/WTO (co-authored) (Princeton University Press, 2006; Chinese translation, Peking University Press, 2013).
Prior to arriving at UCLA, Professor Steinberg worked as Assistant General Counsel to the United States Trade Representative in Washington, D.C., and later as an associate with Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco. A graduate of Yale, he holds a J.D. and Ph.D. degree from Stanford, was a Ford Foundation Fellow at Harvard, and a MacArthur Foundation Fellow at Stanford.
Forum Schedule
All debates are open for comment.
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Israel and Hamas Question
With regard to the Israel/Hamas conflict that erupted on October 7, 2023, to what extent can the International Criminal Court deter crimes in the region, facilitate a reduction of violence, provide accountability for criminality in the conflict, or advance post-conflict reconciliation between Israelis and the Palestinian people? Twenty-third major question begun on February 22, 2024.
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Decentralized Accountability Question
How, and to what extent, should the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor engage with national, regional, or other authorities or organizations to support accountability for those accused of grave crimes? Twenty-second major question begun on September 13, 2023.
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The Legal Traditions Question
To what extent has the ICC under-represented non-Western laws, principles, rules, procedures, practices, or traditions in its legal structure and system? Twenty-first major question begun on July 25, 2022.
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The Cyberwarfare Question
To what extent and under what conditions might cyber operations or cyberwarfare constitute crimes specified in the Rome Statute? Twentieth major question begun on March 7, 2022.
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The Gravity Question
What is the universe of cases upon which the ICC should focus? What should be the threshold for the gravity that warrants investigation of a situation or prosecution of those most responsible? Nineteenth major question begun on July 1, 2021.
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The U.S. Sanctions Question
Is it appropriate or effective for the United States to attempt to influence the actions of the ICC by means of the sanctions set forth in President Trump’s June 2020 Executive Order? Eighteenth major question begun on January 8, 2021.
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The Cyber Evidence Question
To what extent can cyber evidence repositories, and digital and open-source evidence, facilitate the work of the OTP, and the ICC more generally? Seventeenth major question begun on June 1, 2020.
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The Completion Strategy Question
What might be some elements of an ICC completion strategy for situations under investigation? Sixteenth major question begun on February 24, 2020.
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The Superior Responsibility Question
What does the Bemba Appeal Judgment say about superior responsibility under Article 28 of the Rome Statute? Fifteenth major question begun on May 27, 2019.
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The Anniversary Question
In the Rome Statute’s third decade, what key reforms could make the international criminal justice project stronger, more efficient, and more effective? Fourteenth major question begun on June 28, 2018.
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The Aggression Question
How should the ICC investigate and prosecute the crime of aggression? Thirteenth major question begun on February 12, 2018.
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The Performance Question
How can the performance of the ICC be properly assessed? Twelfth major question begun on July 10, 2017.
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The Withdrawal Question
How will the withdrawal of some African States from the ICC affect international justice? Eleventh major question begun on November 15, 2016.
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The Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Question
How to improve cooperation of first responders to assist ICC investigations of SGBV? Tenth major question begun on April 12, 2016.
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The Outreach Question
How can the ICC Improve its Outreach Efforts? Ninth major question begun on February 17, 2015.
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The Arrest Question
What More Can Be Done to Secure Arrests? Eighth major question begun on February 13, 2014.
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The Africa Question
Is the ICC Targeting Africa Inappropriately? Seventh major question begun on March 17, 2013.
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The Mass Rape Question
Do Individual Victims of Mass Rape Have to Testify? Sixth major question begun on June 26, 2012.
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The Reparations Question
Reparations for Addressing Mass Atrocities and War Crimes? Fifth major question begun on February 6, 2012.
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The Prevention Question
How can the ICC Maximize its Crime Prevention Impact? Fourth major question begun on October 6, 2011.
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The Libya Question
Where Should Saif al-Islam Gaddafi be Tried? Special member debate begun on November 21, 2011.
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The Oversight Question
What is the Proper Balance Between Oversight and Independence? Third major question begun on May 6, 2011.
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The Darfur Question
What Should the ICC Do About the Darfur Situation? Second major question begun on January 26, 2011.
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The Gaza Jurisdiction Question
Should the ICC Investigate War Crimes in Gaza? First major question begun on September 1, 2010.
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The Exit Interview
Amplify on the issues raised in the video Exit Interview of Luis Moreno-Ocampo. Special feature begun on February 13, 2014.
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The Universality Lecture
If Desirable, How Can Universal State Participation Be Achieved? Special lecture and debate begun on March 5, 2013.
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The Peace Lecture
To What Extent can the ICC Advance Peace Around the World? Special lecture and debate begun on February 19, 2013.
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The Victims Lecture
How can Victims Rights and Representation be Improved at the ICC? Special lecture and debate begun on February 12, 2013.
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The Arrest Lecture
How can the ICC Secure the Arrest and Surrender of Indictees? Special lecture and debate begun on February 5, 2013.
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The Efficiency Lecture
How Could the ICC Become More Efficient? Special lecture and debate begun on January 29, 2013.
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The Deterrence Lecture
Is Deterrence of Mass Atrocities an Attainable Goal of the ICC? Special lecture and debate begun on January 22, 2013.
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The Security Council Lecture
Relationship Between the ICC and the UN Security Council? Special lecture and debate begun on January 15, 2013.
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The Politics Lecture
Should the Prosecutor Consider or Engage in Politics? Special lecture and debate begun on January 8, 2013.
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