“This paper is an attempt to grapple with certain myths that have recently been propagated by a number of individuals, including government officials, political leaders and civil society members (including the media), regarding the world’s first permanent international criminal tribunal – the International Criminal Court (ICC). The paper is intended as an introductory discussion document that might further stimulate debate about Africa’s response to the ICC. The ICC has sparked immense interest since it opened its doors in 2002. As one noted commentator puts it: ‘Whether or not one is supportive of the International Criminal Court, any knowledgeable specialist has to admit that in the history of public international law it is a truly extraordinary phenomenon’. It may just be ‘the most important institutional innovation since the founding of the United Nations’.”
