ABSTRACT
Entering into force on 1 July 2002, the Rome Statue established the International Criminal Court (ICC) with jurisdiction over ‘the most serious crimes of concern to the international community’: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes (ICC, 2002: 3). It is not the purpose of this chapter to explore the differences between these crimes, for such there are many detailed accounts that explain the distinctive and the circumstances in which they occur. For instance, Lemkin’s (1944) essay originating the concept of genocide is important for understanding the basis of the act, and works from Schabas (2008), Totten and Bartrop (2009), Jones (2011) and Stanton (2016) contribute important interpretations of the crime. In terms of the links between genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, Bauman (2009), Shaw (2003, 2015), and Geras (2015) offer useful insights into broader social concepts of modernity and racism.
