Book excerpt: Written by a former UN Chief Prosecutor and a leading international law expert, this is a much needed, short and accessible introduction to the current debates in international humanitarian law. Analyzing the legal and political underpinnings of international judicial institutions, it provides the reader with an understanding of both the historical development of institutions directed towards international justice, as well as an overview of the differences and similarities between such organizations. By providing a side-by-side discussion of various institutions and methods, the reader will come to see the ways in which institutions have responded both to prior incarnations as well as the contemporary political environments within which they have operated.