Genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes are considered the core international crimes. The definition and penalization of these offenses date back to post–World War II instruments such as the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal, the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and the 1949 Geneva Conventions Relating to the Protection of Victims of Armed Conflict. Their legal origin is thus clearly international and relatively recent. In practice, genocide, the crime of crimes according to William Schabas, and crimes against humanity may encompass war crimes (see, e.g., the decisions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda [ICTR]). When genocide or crimes against humanity committed within the context of an armed conflict are involved, therefore, national war crimes legislation may apply as well.

Core International Crimes...