Karadzic Nabbed

War criminal Radovan Karadzic was arrested in Serbia bringing to an end the long twilight of his career as a fugitive from international justice. Here's a useful PBS profile of Karadzic. The Finding Karadzic blog is interesting (and though soon to be literally obsolete will presumably feature trial coverage in the future). And then there's Russ Baker's 2004 article on how Karadzic was being allowed to evade justice.

A great day for humanity and international law, and a bad day for massacres and war crimes.

UPDATE: Heather Hurlburt smartly puts this turn of events in the context of last week's ICC indictment of Omar Bashir to observe that "for an institution that has been ridiculed, assaulted and accused of non-existence in recent years, international law -- and more important, international accountability for crimes committed against one's own citizens -- is having a pretty darn good run right now." She also makes the provocative point that the United States is looking a bit like the dispensable nation right now with these events haven "taken place pretty much without the United States or even, in the case of the ICC, against the will of our government." Just think what could be done if by far the richest, largest, and most important liberal state were to return to involves ourselves constructively in these international processes.

Comments

Now Serge Brammertz needs to issue arrest warrnts for Bush, Cheney, Feith, Addington, Yoo, Hadley and several others in this administration. Radovan Karadzic's murders number in the tens of thousands from what I read. The aforementioned crew makes him a rank amateur by comparison. Hang them all. That gallows aren't now being erected on the White House lawn speaks volumes about who we are as a nation. Enablers of genocidal sociopaths the lot of us.

Posted by steve duncan | July 22, 2008 7:54 AM

Amen to the comments by Matt & Steve Duncan above.

Posted by signSansSignified | July 22, 2008 8:40 AM

Enjoy The Hague you mass-murdering fuckhead. I hear it's nice this time of year.

Posted by J.W. Hamner | July 22, 2008 8:52 AM

How can you people say these thing!?!?!?!

This man have beautiful head of hair and dress fantastic! He do nothing wrong!

Posted by Bruno | July 22, 2008 9:08 AM

I'm delighted that Karadzic is on the way to stand trial, but am sobered by the rumors that it was fear of the Hague (allegedly on the part of his generals) that has kept Mugabe in power in Zimbabwe, instead of retiring when it became clear that the people of Zimbabwe wanted him to go.

That's something of a mixed blessing. You'd like the fear of justice to have a deterrent effect, not be a motive for committing more crimes.

Posted by dm | July 22, 2008 9:11 AM

I'm afraid Captain Bring Down above probably has it right.

Posted by Aleks | July 22, 2008 9:40 AM

She also makes the provocative point that the United States is looking a bit like the dispensable nation right now with these events haven "taken place pretty much without the United States or even, in the case of the ICC, against the will of our government."

The right-wingnutosphere felt that the U.S. could have (or perhaps "was entitled to" is more accurate) a monopoly on world influence. Well, we're now bogged down in two wars, our credibility is completely shot, some nations are refusing our call for help in Afghanistan because they have no faith that we'll do the right things, and nations that before would take us seriously are ignoring us left and right.

The neocons have weakened our nation economically, militarily, and diplomatically. They "hit the trifecta!"

Posted by LFC | July 22, 2008 9:42 AM

Nice hair, Raddy. Are those highlights?

Posted by asl | July 22, 2008 9:48 AM

dm: that's a good point, through from what I've read, the Mugabe cronies were more afraid of domestic reprisals than international tribunals. There'd be no reason for the Hague option if a workable domestic option were available, as seen in Rwanda. It doesn't have to be war crimes trials, either, if there's popular consent for a process that brings national reconciliation through a full accounting of wrongdoing.

Karadzic and Mladic are the two main obstacles to Serbian EU membership, and the arrest was made just after the formation of a pro-EU government in Belgrade, and just before the Council of Ministers meets with that government. Makes you wonder.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | July 22, 2008 9:51 AM

Now Serge Brammertz needs to issue arrest warrnts for Bush, Cheney, Feith, Addington, Yoo, Hadley and several others in this administration.

That's not how it works. Even if we were a member of the ICC, it prosecutes on security council refferals. So Bush would have to refer himself for investigation as a war criminal.

Posted by Ed Marshall | July 22, 2008 10:11 AM

Any chance Bashir and Karadzic will be cellmates?

Posted by JohnMcC | July 22, 2008 11:31 AM

I'd be a little more convinced that the ICC indictment of Bashir amounts to "progress" if someone could explain the endgame to me. The ICC has basically called for regime change in the Sudan, but China and Russia block even mild sanctions against Sudan in the Security Council. The Arab League has already denounced the indictment. How does this end with anything but a demonstration of the ICC's impotence?

And how, precisely, would greater involvement of the US in international institutions made any difference at all in the Karadzic case? The EU has always had the leverage of EU membership; they finally have a govt in Serbia amenable to it.

Posted by rd | July 22, 2008 12:46 PM

worst. haircut. ever.

Posted by Vidal | July 22, 2008 2:18 PM

"And how, precisely, would greater involvement of the US in international institutions made any difference at all in the Karadzic case? "

Couldn't they have used NATO more and the US could have provided more cash for the manhunt?

It's all about priorities and this wasn't a priority for the US. I like how Russia has said the Karadzic case was an "internal affair." Same as Zimbabwe or Burma.

Posted by Peter K. | July 22, 2008 2:19 PM

My husband is Croatian so not the best impartial opinion on Serbia but he did make a very interesting point...

It is highly suspect that Karadzic has been discovered (in Belgrade!?) so shortly after the pro-EU government of Serbia took power. Will this arrest (and Ratko's imminent arrest) hasten their entrance into the EU?

The Serbs are great statesmen and very savvy negotiators/players who are willing, able, and ready to spin this to their advantage (or suddenly find these war criminals) to gain entrance into the EU.

Croatian politicians are not smooth-operators on this front and this has delayed the EU entrance process for them. So who will become part of the EU first? Serbia or Croatia? Does either country, based upon the merits of the State, deserve it more?

Posted by Ingiro | July 22, 2008 3:47 PM

My husband is Croatian so not the best impartial opinion on Serbia but he did make a very interesting point...

It is highly suspect that Karadzic has been discovered (in Belgrade!?) so shortly after the pro-EU government of Serbia took power. Will this arrest (and Ratko's imminent arrest) hasten their entrance into the EU?

The Serbs are great statesmen and very savvy negotiators/players who are willing, able, and ready to spin this to their advantage (or suddenly find these war criminals) to gain entrance into the EU.

Croatian politicians are not smooth-operators on this front and this has delayed the EU entrance process for them. So who will become part of the EU first? Serbia or Croatia? Does either country, based upon the merits of the State, deserve it more?

Posted by Ingiro | July 22, 2008 3:50 PM