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Jus Pro Bello: The Impact Of International Prosecutions On War Continuation, Marco Bocchese

Washington International Law Journal

This Article investigates the political and military conditions under which national governments decide to invite judicial scrutiny from the International Crim-inal Court (“ICC”). The cross-case analysis of seven countries either examined or officially investigated by the ICC Prosecutor’s Office (“OTP”) lends support to the conclusion that governments solicit external judicial scrutiny due to two main independent variables: namely, a military’s inability to defeat a rebellion and a short-term preference for continuing war over negotiating its conclusion. This Article contends that the values placed on these variables combine to persuade national governments in conflict-ridden countries that, against predictions to the contrary, …