United Nations

A Security Council divided over rights violations by Russian paramilitaries must maintain civilian protection as a priority.

Such a convention could help dispel a culture of impunity by reaffirming the gravity of such atrocities and filling gaps left by the Rome Statute.

Such a law would strengthen the prospect of the US one day seriously considering ratification of a proposed treaty.

While it contains laudable provisions, it is silent on certain fundamental issues, and some clauses set out the lowest common denominator.

Such a legal framework could be transformative for so many who have been left out or on the margins of existing mechanisms, including women.

At times the baton was dropped; at other times, drafters successfully overcame the hurdles in the process, as with the ICC Statute.

The US absence at the table is more perplexing than ever, considering how these issues will define maritime governance in the 21st century.

The answer is to fully enact international criminal law at the national level and to provide for its maximum reach.

It is a matter of historical curiosity, and it's time for the UN to reunite genocide with its genus by concluding a parallel treaty.

The UN has repeatedly failed to fulfill its mission to protect civilians. A protection agenda could help it succeed.

A successful treaty will prompt States to adopt stronger national laws and cooperate with each other to stop atrocities.

How the international community and domestic power brokers undermined an initiative and sowed another seed of the ultimate collapse.