Watershed Moment or Same Old? Ukraine and the Future of International Criminal Justice

This note places the revitalization of international criminal law spurred by the international community’s response to the large-scale commission of core crimes in Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s February 2022 invasion into a broader (geo)political context. The unprecedented financial and operational support the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor has received since raises questions about its implications for the future of international criminal justice and the ways forward for the ICC and the Rome Statute system. The ICC states parties should avoid turning this crisis into a special case for international criminal law enforcement and seize the ‘Ukraine moment’ to remedy rather than perpetuate existing enforcement asymmetries.