This essay examines the two existing international criminal tribunals,
ICTY and ICTR, in comparison with the past military tribunals and the future
International Criminal Court. In so doing, it attempts to locate them in
the context of peace operations and assesses its merits and demerits for
building peace in war-torn societies. After looking at the "harmonious,"
"adversarial," and "conditional" views on international
criminal tribunals characterized as "judicial intervention,"
the essay emphasizes the importance and subtlety of the use of international
criminal tribunals as part of peace operations. The strategies of the ad
hoc tribunals are identified as "international legitimacy" and
"international indictments." The inherent problem in "judicial
intervention" is also discussed in terms of the conceptual orientation
of "individualization" of conflicts.