Acknowledgements
This book is the product of an obsession with judges and judicial law-making that has sustained me for over a decade, and no doubt will continue to do so for decades to come. The roots of this obsession lie in my near insatiable desire to understand the rationale, history, and mechanics of international criminal justice. My fascination with international criminal law was sparked by my interaction with Bill Schabas during my time at the Irish Centre for Human Rights. It was Bill who encouraged me to undertake the doctoral research, completed under his supervision, which forms the basis of this book. I am incredibly grateful to him for his guidance and wisdom over the years. While I have been fortunate to have Bill as a mentor and friend, I have also had the privilege of having him as a colleague at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, Leiden University. Since 2011, we have co-lectured international criminal law on the Advanced LL.M. Programme in Public International Law. To teach alongside a scholar of his stature, to learn from him, and to exchange ideas has been instrumental in my development as a scholar.
I am indebted to the faculty of Irish Centre for Human Rights, most especially Ray Murphy, Shane Darcy, and Kathleen Cavanagh for their support and advice. Thanks must also be extended to the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, who supported my doctoral research through the granting of a Government of Ireland Research Scholarship.
For the last nine years, my academic home has been the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, Leiden University. The vibrancy of the Grotius Centre’s research community and the sophistication of the scholarship that my colleagues effortlessly produce is a source of ongoing inspiration. While all of my colleagues at the Grotius Centre have been a fount of support, particular thanks go to Eric de Brabandere, Larissa van den Herik, Carsten Stahn, and Nico Schrijver. A number of individuals deserve special thanks for critically engaging with my research and offering insightful comments on various chapters and arguments contained in this book. I’m most grateful to Michelle Farrell, Yvonne McDermott, Dov Jacobs, Jens Iverson, Daniel Peat, Paula Baldini and Gregor Guy-Smith in this respect. I am also especially grateful to Rob Cryer for the constructive comments he provided as my doctoral examiner. I am lucky to have had the support and love of a wonderful circle of friends and comrades, however, a number deserve special mention: Tim Buckley, Michael Higgins, John Reynolds, Vanina Trojan, Wilkie D Higgins, Ulic Egan, Dave Kennedy, Louise Higgins, Michael Kearney and Geraldine O’Dea.
A special word of thanks is owed to the incredibly talented Anna Buckley (Strongpencil) for composing the cover art that adorns this book and is included in more comprehensive form as part of the books front matter. The illustration, titled “The Construction”, depicts international criminal judges in the process of making international criminal law and international criminal justice page-by-page, one decision at a time. Keen-eyed observers will be able to identify two champions of judicial creativity – Judge Antonio Cassese and Judge Sir Hersch Lauterpacht – conversing in the foreground. That Anna has managed to capture in one image the spirit and central argument of the book is quite remarkable.
I am grateful to Lindy Melman and Bea Timmer and the rest of the team at Brill/Nijhoff, they have been a pleasure to work with. This book would not have been completed without the invaluable research assistance of Rafael Braga da Silva. Rafael went above and beyond the call of duty in helping to ensure that the manuscript was ready for publication. I’m also enormously thankful to Valentine Bourghelle, Marinah Rahmat, Anmol Gulecha, and Nicola Nesi for assisting with the time consuming task of proofing and indexing the text.
The love and support of my family has been crucial in sustaining me during the writing of this book. In this regard, special thanks are owed to my parents, Agnes and Gerry, my sister Elaine, my brother-in-law John, and my wonderful nieces Emily-May and Grace. Throughout my life my parents have had complete faith and belief in me and encouraged me to pursue my passions in life and to be creative. My grandparents, Hugh and Nora Ledwidge, and Joe and Vera Powderly, had an enormous influence on me and made me the individual I am today. I hope this book would have made them proud. I am eternally indebted to my parents-in-law, Tom and Christina Hayes, for their encouragement, humour, love and support.
Finally, and most of all, thanks to my wife Niamh Hayes. Over the past 14 years Niamh has not only been my companion in life, but has been a constant and unwavering source of inspiration, strength, and love. We are fortunate that we both share a nerdish passion for international criminal law and international affairs generally. We have spent countless hours discussing every aspect of each other’s PhD research and it is fair to say that Niamh is as familiar with the content of this book as I am; she has read every word, edited every footnote, and provided invaluable feedback on every argument. Niamh, I hope you will agree that this book is pfl.