Scholars’ Circle – Prosecuting War Crimes – May 3, 2026

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges to the Nuremberg principles in light of recent global conflicts and the accountability of state leaders for war crimes.

The last few years have been a particularly challenging time for the international law framework outlines at Nuremberg. The trial of the German leadership at the end of the Second World War, coupled with the creation of the UN and the UN Charter, codified a series of legal obligations for state leaders. It outlawed waging war or even threatening war. It held individual leaders as criminally liable for violating the rules of war. And it promised prosecutions as a result of these violations. While it had never realized its promise, the past few years, from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to terrorist attacks against Israel and Israel’s waging of war in Gaza and Lebanon, to the Israeli and American war against Iran, have been a particular challenge to the so-called Nuremberg principles. So on today’s show, we explore what these principles are whether international actors can return to their promise. [ dur: 58mins. ] Elizabeth Borgwardt is former Pozen Professor of Human Rights at the University of Chicago. She is the author of A New Deal for the World: America’s Vision for Human Rights and the upcoming The Nuremberg Idea: Thinking Humanity in History, Law and Politics. Jennifer…

People in this episode

Guests: Elizabeth Borgwardt, Jennifer Trahan

Topics covered

• war crimes
• international law
• Nuremberg principles
• human rights
• state accountability
• current events

Keywords

• Nuremberg
• war crimes
• international law
• human rights
• state leaders
• prosecutions
• Ukraine
• Israel
• Iran

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Chicago, NYU’s Center for Global Affairs

Books & works: A New Deal for the World: America’s Vision for Human Rights, The Nuremberg Idea: Thinking Humanity in History, Law and Politics, Existing Legal Limits to the Use of the Veto in the Face of Atroc

Places: Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran

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