| On July 17, 1998, at the conclusion of the Rome Conference, one hundred and twenty nation-states voted in favor of the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court (ICC). The purpose of this Court is to try individuals who are accused of violating the core crimes of humanitarian law: the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Never before has such an institution of international justice been established. Its formation represents a leap forward in the quest for international justice and may provide an example of the changing nature of governance in world politics. As a result, the central research question of this dissertation is what does the formation of a permanent International Criminal Court represent in terms of governance in the contemporary world and what does this suggest about the way in which international relations scholars analyze world politics? In addressing these questions, this dissertation will: first, assess the formation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as established during the Rome Conference. Second, through an analysis of this case, this dissertation will draw some conclusions about the changing nature of world politics in terms of means of conflict management, authority, governance, and primary actors. |
