The Milošević Trial: An Autopsy

I am forwarding this call for papers from Tim Waters at Indiana to be presented at a forthcoming conference on the Milosevic trial. Looks like a great event.

The Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Russian and East European Institute and Center for West European Studies announce a major conference in Bloomington, Indiana on February 18-21, 2010. The conference will analyze the trial of Slobodan Milošević – the longest and most important war crimes trial of the modern era. The trial’s significance and legacy are strongly contested; the conference will examine both the causes of the trial’s termination and its implications for post-conflict justice.

Drawing on major trial participants, experts on the former Yugoslavia, and international criminal law scholars who have written on the trial, the conference will address issues such as: the proper role of historical truth-telling in war crimes trials; measuring the impact of trials; prosecutorial and judicial strategy in designing trials; and access to trial archives. Confirmed participants include

Dejan Anastasijević (Vreme, Belgrade)
Florian Bieber (University of Kent; Visiting Professor, Cornell University)
Bruce Broomhall (University of Quebec)
Robert Donia (Visiting Professor, University of Michigan)
Florence Hartmann (former spokeswoman for the OTP)
Robert Hayden (University of Pittsburgh)
Marco Prelec (International Crisis group, former member of OTP)
Yuval Shany (Hebrew University; Visiting Professor, Columbia University)
Zdenko Tomanović (Milošević’s legal advisor)
Tibor Várady (Central European University, Visiting Prof., Emory University)
Timothy Waters (Indiana University, former member of OTP) and
Clint Williamson (former US war crimes ambassador and member of OTP)

We are seeking a small number of additional papers directly addressing the themes of the conference from scholars of international criminal law, transitional justice, or the former Yugoslavia. If sufficient papers of high quality are received, we may add an additional panel. Papers must be closely related to the conference themes, meaning they either analyze aspects of the Milošević trial or the trial’s impact on the former Yugoslavia, international criminal law, or transitional justice and post-conflict reconciliation. Papers on general issues of international criminal law (without a specific focus on the Milošević trial) are unlikely to be accepted. Abstracts (500 words, plus 200 word bio) and CVs are due by 6 December 2009. For those papers that are accepted, final drafts will be due in late January. Send proposals to Tim Waters here.

Alternatively, individuals with a strong background in the relevant fields may also indicate their interest in serving as discussants. At the conference, discussants will present authors’ papers and give a short (five-page) review and critique. Individuals interested in being discussants should send a short (300 word maximum) note indicating the areas they are most competent to comment upon and their CV by 6 December 2009.

The conference will provide meals to invited participants, and make rooms available at a discounted conference rate. Should additional funding become available, the conference will provide partial or full support for lodging and travel. More information is available here.