Genocide Prevention & the ICC: Success or Failure?

The effectiveness of the International Criminal Court in putting an end to mass murder and in prosecuting perpetrators responsible for crimes comprising war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide is what the paper explores. This research shall be evaluating the potential ability of the court through its core procedures of responsibility, deterrence, and precedents to address and prevent the most egregious breaches of human rights. In important case studies related to Thomas Lubanga, Omar al-Bashir, and Jean-Pierre Bemba, the ICC has shown both influence and discouragement of leaders who commit serious abuses. As much as the report recognizes the financial, jurisdictional, and state cooperation constraints of the Court that led to charges against its bias and constricted its influence worldwide. Despite all these challenges, the ICC has encouraged and given birth to a rising culture of accountability, affecting international humanitarian law and giving way to more deliberate crime. In this regard, this thesis thwarts the conception of the function of the ICC as the successful international arbiter of justice and its positive influence on stopping crimes in the future.