Book excerpt: This book offers a thorough analysis of the establishment and the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Furthermore, it gives insight into how the Rwanda Tribunal has operated in practice during its first ten years and it examines the case law on the three major international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The author provides a balanced judgement of the contribution of the Rwanda Tribunal towards the development of international criminal law, emphasizing its strong points, in particular the case law on genocide, but also exposing its weaknesses in terms of legal reasoning. The author also demonstrates the inherent limits of the Rwanda Tribunal due to the political and social situation within Rwanda and due to its own Statute.