When Slobodan Milosˇevic´ died in the United Nations Detention Unit in
The Hague over four years after his trial had begun, many feared – and
some hoped – that international criminal justice was experiencing some
sort of death itself. Yet the Milosˇevic´ case, the first trial of a former head of
state by a truly international criminal tribunal and one of the most
complex and lengthy war crimes trials in history, stands for much in the
development and the future of international criminal justice, both politically
and legally. This book, written by the senior legal adviser working for
the Trial Chamber, analyses the trial to determine what lessons can be
learnt that will improve the fair and expeditious conduct of complex
international criminal proceedings brought against former heads of state
and senior political and military officials, and develops reforms for the
future achievement of best practice in international criminal law.