The authors examine the scope of international crime, the mechanisms created by states for enforcing the law, and the practical difficulties of applying them, and conclude with an assessment of the future of accountability. This edition has been revised and updated to include developments since 1997.

This new edition has been revised and updated to include developments since 1997, including domestic prosecutions and truth commission, the work of the UN's Yugoslavia and Rwand Tribunals, and the International Criminal Court.

Part one: Substantive law
1: Individual Accountability for
Human Rights Abuses: Historical and Legal Underpinnings
2:
Genocide and the Imperfections of Codification
3: Crimes Against Humanity and the Inexactitude of Custom
4: War Crimes and the Limitations of Accountability for Acts in Armed Conflict
5: Other Abuses Incurring Individual Responsibility under International Law
6: Expanding and Contracting Culpability: Related Crimes, Defenses, and Other Barriers to Criminality. Part two: Mechanisms for accountability
7: Mechanisms for Accountability: Framing the Issues
8: The Forum of First Resort: National Tribunals
9: The Progeny of Nuremberg: International Criminal Tribunals
10: Non-Prosecutorial Options: Investigatory Commissions, Civil Suits, and Immigration Measure
11: Developing the Case: Comments on Evidence and Judicial Assistance. Part three: a case study: the attrocities of the Khmer Rouge
12: The Khmer Rouge Rule Over Cambodia: A Historical Overview
14: Engaging the Mechanisms. Part four: Conclusions
15: Striving for Justice: The Prospect for Individual Accountability.