The authors consider the recent referral by the UN Security Council of the situation in the western region of Sudan (Darfur) for investigation and prosecution to the International Criminal Court. The paper focuses on the context of this referral, especially since the referral signals a capitulation by the United States of America (which had the power to veto the re...

In recent years there have been growing reports of UN peacekeepers committing severe crimes against the people they are meant to protect, while on peacekeeping duties. These crimes often take the form of gender-based violence and abuse. This paper examines the nature and extent of the problem, the accountability of the peacekeeping troops, the role and the extent o...