El derecho penal internacional en la encrucijada: De la imposición ad hoc a un sistema universal basado en un tratado internacional

Abstract

The paper attempts to do a tour d'horizon from the (vertical) imposition of the ad hoc-system of international criminal justice to the (horizontal) universality of the ICC regime. It will show that there are many unresolved questions and an increasing need for further reflection and research. It does not pretend, however, to give any definite answers to the pressing legal issues discussed, but rather tries to identify them and create the necessary awareness in the first place. In any case, it seems clear that the identity crisis of International Criminal Law, criticized in some quarters, can only be overcome if ICL will be established as a discipline in its own right and on the basis of the fundamental principles of criminal law inherent to any liberal and fair criminal law system.