Forums for Punishing Offenses Against the Law of Nations

Judge Everett and Mr. Silliman introduce the Statute of the International Tribunal, which has been established by the United Nations Security Council to prosecute violations of the law of war in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The authors outline historical precedent for the International Tribunal and propse alternative military forums for punishing offenses against the law of nations. In particular, the authors discuss whether American courts-marital and military commissions are realistic alternatives to a specially constituted international tribunal when trying such offenses. After a brief comparison of these two American military tribunals, the artical concludes that both are viable alternative forums to the International Tribunal