Meernik, James --- "International tribunals and political accountability" [2019] ELECD 2320; in Sterett, M. Susan; Walker, D. Lee (eds), "Research Handbook on Law and Courts" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019) 17

Book Title: Research Handbook on Law and Courts

Editor(s): Sterett, M. Susan; Walker, D. Lee

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 1

Section Title: International tribunals and political accountability

Author(s): Meernik, James

Number of pages: 13

Abstract/Description:

International courts and tribunals are designed to hold individuals to account for their international misdeeds, such as grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and crimes against humanity. This chapter analyzes the degree to which these tribunals are held to account by their political masters. I develop a model of political accountability of the international tribunals that highlights key features of the actual and practical degree of oversight of these institutions by their designers. I focus on three elements in this relationship—budgetary oversight, legal oversight, and political oversight regarding the risks of infringements upon sovereignty. I conclude with thoughts on the likely evolution of these relationships in an increasingly fractured world.