This concluding chapter traces the long twentieth century of international criminal law to contextualize the twenty-first century’s possibilities and challenges. International criminal law has been through three periods of vigorous development punctuated by prolonged intervals of virtual dormancy. The first two such periods followed the great wars of the early twentieth century. They are sometimes referred to, in shorthand, as ‘Versailles’ and ‘Nuremberg’. The third period began in the early 1990s and has not yet run its course. Today, the future of international criminal law seems uncertain. Nevertheless, it is beyond doubt that there has been a sea change in practice at the national level. Peace agreements without provisions addressing issues of impunity and accountability are today unthinkable. Domestic legislation has evolved dramatically, responding to pressure from human rights monitoring bodies. Civil society is deeply committed to criminal justice as a necessary response to atrocity. No longer can the perpetrators of atrocity dismiss the prospect of accountability. Indeed, unlike the situation that prevailed a quarter of a century ago, justice is now a real possibility. If any tyrants need to be reminded of this, they might think about the fate of Hissène Habré.
