Dr. Healy

They made an agreement there, under the cover of the night sky, that there would be twelve days, as was customary, set aside for the funeral. There would be no war until the time of mourning had come to an end. Is this something that could possible happen in the 21st century? Could leaders reach an armistice, even if only temporary for the fall of a leader? I am reminded of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan that is currently being fought. I think about Ouday and Qusay Hussein, and their father, Saddam. During the course of this particular war, there have been casualties and captures. This does not stop the matter at hand…we are at war. Had Saddam not been the person we were searching for, and he remained in office, I am quite sure we would not have called off the war for any period of time while he mourned the loss of his sons. Which era is more civilized: Ours or Achilles’?

After viewing the movie, Troy, I was curious about what institutions had been established because of violent acts and as a result of war and genocide. One such institution is the International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The ICTY, as stated on its website, was established by Security Council resolution 827 on May 25, 1993 “in the face of the serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991, and as a response to the threat to international peace and security posed by those serious violations.” It has a fourfold mission:

a. to bring to justice persons allegedly responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law

b. to render justice to the victims

c. to deter further crimes

d. to contribute to the restorations of peace by promoting reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia

I find it amazing how much money has actually been appropriated to this particular institution. In 1993, it had a budget of $276,000. This budget has grown to an enormous $271,854,600 for 2004-2005, totaling nearly $1.1 trillion. This is simply the cost for one tribunal. As of January 2004, there were 1238 staff members representing 84 countries.

The Tribunal has the authority to prosecute and try people who have committed crimes against humanity, violations of the laws or customs of war, attempted genocide, or breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The Geneva Conventions transpired because of all of the historic barbaric acts that had taken place. There were four basic conventions: 1864- discussed the treatment of battlefield casualties; 1906- extended the principles for the first convention to apply also to war at sea; 1929- treatment of prisoners of war; and 1949- treatment of civilians during wartime. Nearly all 200 countries of the world are “signatory” nations and, for the most part, are held responsible by the United Nations.

The International Criminal Court was another institution that I visited while in Europe. The ICC is overseen by the Assembly of States Parties, made up of one representative of every country that belongs to the court. The A. of S. P. among other duties elects judges and prosecuters and can remove them if they fail to uphold their duties. There are a total of 18 judges who serve 9 year, nonrenewable