This course will endeavour to systematically analyse the most current state of international criminal law and its place in the modern international legal system in light of: (a) the entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in July 2002; (b) a series of judgments on the substantive criminal law rendered by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and that for Rwanda; and (c) other recent developments, such as the proceedings against General Augusto Pinochet in England, and the attempt to bring the members of the Khmer Rouge to justice. While the focus of the course will be on the substantive law, important procedural aspects will also be considered. Inevitably, emphasis will be placed on the present and future prospect of international criminal law in the hands of the International Criminal Court (ICC) set up by the Rome Statute. At the same time, the possibility of domestic courts or ad hoc international tribunals applying international criminal law alongside the permanent international criminal court must be reckoned with. The course will proceed with the examination of relevant international legal concepts, general principles of international criminal law, and the functioning of ad hoc international tribunals and their comparison with the ICC. Particular international crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, aggression, and other international crimes), modes of participation in the commission of such crimes, and defences will then be analysed. The course will conclude by dealing with procedural aspects as well as the present and future implementations of international criminal law.