Overcoming the Challenges to Achieving Justice for Syria

In his introduction to the themed issue on peace and conflict resolution in Syria, Stephen J. Rapp draws on his experience as Ambassador-at-Large for the Office of Global Criminal Justice of the U.S. Department of State, Prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and Senior Trial Attorney and Chief of Prosecutions for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, to address challenges Syrians will face in ending the conflict and achieving justice for the victims of crimes committed on all sides of the conflict. Ambassador Rapp advocates for prosecuting those responsible for the atrocities committed at the national level in third countries through the application of universal jurisdiction