David Scheffer

David Scheffer is a CILRAP Research Fellow and Mayer Brown/Robert A. Helman Professor of Law and the Director of the Centre for International Human Rights at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He has been the UN Secretary-General’s Special Expert on United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (2012-18). As the US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues (1997-2001), he led the US delegation to negotiations on the ICC, including the Diplomatic Conference in Rome. He has served the US Government in various capacities, such as Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State (1997), Senior Adviser and Counsel to the Office of the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1993-97) and Senior Consultant to Committee on Foreign Affairs, US House of Representatives (1987-88).

Scheffer has lectured at various academic institutions in North America and Europe, including Columbia University, Georgetown University, Duke University, National University of Ireland, George Washington University, University of Utrecht and University of Nice. He holds an A.B. from Harvard University, a B.A. (Final Honour School of Jurisprudence) from Oxford University, and an LL.M. (International and Comparative Law) from Georgetown University.

In 2018, Scheffer received the Champion of Justice Award from the Center for Justice and Accountability. He received the Bosch Berlin Prize in Public Policy in 2013 from the American Academy in Berlin. His book, All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals (Princeton University Press, 2012), was awarded the 2012 Book of the Year Award by the American National Section of L’Association Internationale de Droit Pénal. The Foreign Policy Magazine listed him as one of the 'Top Global Thinkers of 2011'. He is the founder and Senior Editor of the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor.

Some publications of David Scheffer:

“The Sit Room: In the Theater of War and Peace”, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2019, pp 360 ff.

“Twenty-First Century Paradigms on Military Force for Humane Purposes”, in Leila Nadya Sadat (editor), “Seeking Accountability for the Unlawful Use of Force”, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2018, pp. 493 ff. (co-author with Angela Walker).

“Closing Perspectives” in David Crane, Leila Sadat, and Michael Schar (editors), “The Founders: Four Pioneering Individuals Who Launched the First Modern-Era International Criminal Tribunals”, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2018, pp 147-149.

“Is the Presumption of Corporate Impunity Dead?”, in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, Vol. 50 (2018), pp. 213 ff.

“The Creation and Legacy of the ICTY”, in Irfan Ajanović and Indira Osmić (editors), “The Research Process, Documentation and Prosecution of Genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, The Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide, 2016, pp. 57 ff.

“The Missing Pieces in Article 8 bis (Aggression) of the Rome Statute”, in Harvard International Law Journal, Vol. 58 (2017), pp. 83 ff.

“Criminal Justice”, in Jacob Katz Cogan, Ian Hurd, and Ian Johnstone (editors), The Oxford Handbook of International Organizations, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2016, pp. 282 ff.

“Maximizing Opportunities to Deter Further Atrocity Crimes”, in Richard H. Steinberg (editor) “Contemporary Issues Facing the International Criminal Court”, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden, 2016, pp. 220 ff.

“The United Nations Security Council and International Criminal Justice”, in William Schabas (editor), “Cambridge Companion to International Criminal Law”, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2016, pp. 178 ff.

“The Complex Crime of Aggression under the Rome Statute”, in Antonio Cassese, Florian Jeßberger, Robert Cryer and Urmila Dé (editors), “International Criminal Law”, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2016.

“The United States and the International Criminal Court”, in Antonio Cassese, Florian Jeßberger, Robert Cryer and Urmila Dé (editors), “International Criminal Law”, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2016.

“A Review of the Experiences of the Pre-Trial and Appeals Chambers of the International Criminal Court Regarding the Disclosure of Evidence”, in Antonio Cassese, Florian Jeßberger, Robert Cryer and Urmila Dé (editors), “International Criminal Law”, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2016.

“The Creation of the Tribunals”, in American Journal of International Law, Vol. 110 (2016), pp. 173-190 (co-author with Michael J. Matheson).

“Corporate Liability under the Rome Statute”, in Harvard International Law Journal Vol. 57 (2016), Online Symposium, pp. 35-39.

“Reflections on Contemporary Responses to Atrocity Crimes”, in Genocide Studies International, Vol. 10 (2016), pp. 105-114.

“The Fate of R2P in the Age of Retrenchment”, in M. Cherif Bassiouni (editor), “Globalization and Its Impact on The Future of Human Rights and International Criminal Justice, Intersentia, Cambridge, 2015, pp. 617 ff.

“The Impact of the War Crimes Tribunals on Corporate Liability for Atrocity Crimes under US Law”, in Charlotte Walker-Said and John D. Kelly (editors), “Corporate Social Responsibility: Human Rights in the New Global Economy”, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2015, pp. 152 ff.

“Reflections on Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia”, in Proceedings of the Eighth International Humanitarian Law Dialogs (2015), pp. 27 ff (co-author with Mark David Agrast and David M. Crane).

“Preface”, in Morse Tan, “North Korea, International Law and the Dual Crises: Narrative and Constructive Engagement”, Routledge Publications, London, 2015.

“False Alarm about the Proprio Motu Prosecutor”, in Martha Minow, Cora True-Frost, and Alex Whiting (editors), “The First Global Prosecutor: Promises and Constraints”, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 2015, pp. 29 ff.

“Atrocity Crimes”, in Jens Meierhenrich (editor), “Genocide: A Reader”, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014, pp. 88-91.

“Proposal for an International Criminal Court Arrest Procedures Protocol”, in Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 12 (2014), pp. 229-252.

“The Paradox of Kiobel in Europe”, in American Journal of International Law, Vol. 107 (2013), pp. 852-857 (co-author with Caroline Kaeb).

“The Ethical Imperative of Curbing Corporate Tax Avoidance”, in Ethics and International Affairs, Vol. 27 (2014), pp. 361-369.

“Excerpts from All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals”, in Eyes on the ICC, Vol. 9 (2012-2013), pp. 1-18.

“The Enforcement of ICC Arrest Warrants”, in Kelly Askin (editor), “The Rise of International Justice”, Open Society Foundation, New York, 2013, pp. 171-181.

“First Annual Clara Barton Lecture: Origins of the Special Court for Sierra Leone”, in Elizabeth Anderson and David Crane (editors) “Proceedings of the Sixth International Humanitarian Law Dialogs”, American Society of International Law, Washington, D.C., 2013, pp. 79-98.

“Atrocity Crimes Litigation: Year in Review (2011) Conference Abridged Transcript”, in Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 11 (2013), pp. 146 ff.

“The Paradox of Kiobel in Europe, Agora on “Transnational Human Rights Litigation after Kiobel””, in American Journal of International Law, Vol. 107 (2013) (co-author with Caroline Kaeb).

“Chasing Leadership Impunity: The Rapid Evolution of International Criminal Law”, in Chapman Law Review, Vol. 16 (2013), pp. 395-405.

“All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals”, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2012.

“Tribunal Influence in Recent US Jurisprudence on Corporate Liabilty for Atrocity Crimes”, in Elizabeth Anderson and David M. Crane (editors), “Proceedings of the Fifth International Humanitarian Law Dialogs”, American Society of International Law, Washington, D.C., 2012, pp. 47-75.

“El Significado y la Activación del Crimen de Agresión Bajo el Estatuto de Roma de la Corte Penal Internacional”, in Politica Criminal, Vol. 7 (2012), No. 13, pp. 209-229.

“The Complex Crime of Aggression under the Rome Statute”, in Elizabeth Anderson and David M. Crane (editors), “Proceedings of the Fourth International Humanitarian Law Dialogs”, American Society of International Law, Washington, D.C., 2011, pp. 173-188.

“Crimes Against Humanity and the Responsibility to Protect”, in Leila Nadya Sadat (editor) “Forging A Convention for Crimes Against Humanity”, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2011, pp. 305-322.

“Introduction: Atrocity Crimes Litigation During 2010”, in Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 9 (2011), pp. 233-240.

“Conference: Lines of Inquiry Memorandum”, in Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 9 (2011), pp. 241-294.

“Whose Lawfare Is It, Anyway?”, in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, Vol. 43 (2010), pp. 215-227.

“The Complex Crime of Aggression under the Rome Statute”, Leiden Journal of International Law, Vol. 23 (2010), pp. 897-904.

“The International Criminal Court”, in William A. Schabas and Nadia Bernaz (editors) “Routledge Handbook of International Criminal Law”, Routledge, London, 2011.

“A Pragmatic Approach to the Crime of Aggression”, in Roberto Bellelli (editor), “International Criminal Justice: Law and Practice from the Rome Statute to its Review”, Ashgate Publishing Company, Farnham, 2010.

“The Five Levels of CSR Compliance: The Resilience of Corporate Liability under the Alien Tort Statute and the Case for a Counterattack Strategy in Compliance Theory”, in Berkeley Journal of International Law, Vol. 29 (2011), pp. 334 ff. (co-author with Caroline Kaeb).

“Introduction: Atrocity Crimes Litigation During 2009”, in Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 8 (2010), pp. 235-244.

“The Legacy of Raphael Lemkin”, in Catherine Filloux, “Silence of God and Other Plays”, Seagull Books, Kolkata, 2009.

“Cross-Fire Discussion of Lessons Learned from the Trials of Slobodan Miloševic, Charles Taylor, and Saddam Hussein”, in Willem J.M. van Genugten, Michael P. Scharf, and Sasha E. Radin (editors), “Criminal Jurisdiction 100 Years After The 1907 Hague Peace Conference”, T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague, 2009.

“Closing the Impunity Gap in U.S. Law”, in Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 8 (2009), pp. 30-52.

“Tenth Annual Grotius Lecture: Further Reflections”, in “Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting”, American Society of International Law, Washington, D.C., 2008, pp. 12-16.

“Introduction: Atrocity Crimes Litigation During 2008”, in Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 7 (2009), pp. 161-169.

“A Pragmatic Approach to Jurisdictional and Definitional Requirements for the Crime of Aggression in the Rome Statute”, in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, Vol. 41 (2009), pp. 397-411.

“Tenth Annual Grotius Lecture Response: For Love of Country and International Criminal Law, Further Reflections”, in American University International Law Review, Vol. 24 (2009), pp. 665-677.

“Elevate Your Vision”, ILSA Quarterly, Vol. 17 (2009), pp. 54-59.

“The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia”, in M. Cherif Bassiouni (editor), “International Criminal Law”, 3rd edition, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden, 2008, Volume III.

“Atrocity Crimes and their Relationship to the Responsibility to Protect”, in Richard H. Cooper and Juliette Voinov Kohler (editors), “Responsibility to Protect: The Global Moral Compact For The 21st Century”, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2009.

“A Review of the Experiences of the Pre-Trial and Appeals Chambers of the International Criminal Court Regarding the Disclosure of Evidence”, in Göran Sluiter and Carsten Stahn (editors), “The Emerging Practice of The International Criminal Court”, Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2008.

“Why International Law Matters in God’s World”, in Jonathan Rothchild, Matthew Myer Boulton, and Kevin Jung (editors), “Doing Justice to Mercy: Religion, Law, And Criminal Justice”, University of Virginia Press, Charlottesville, 2007, pp. 101-116.

“Policy Issues Under the UN Charter and the Rome Statute”, in Roberto Bellelli (editor), “Conference on International Criminal Justice”, AGAT, Torino, 2008, pp. 48-52.

“The Security Council and International Law on Military Occupations”, in Vaughan Lowe, Adam Roberts, Jennifer Welsh, and Dominik Zaum (editors), “The United Nations Security Council and War; The Evolution of Thought and Practice Since 1945”, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2008, pp. 580-607.

“Nuremburg Trials”, in “Proceedings of The First International Humanitarian Law Dialogs”, American Society of International Law, Washington, D.C., 2008.

“Strategy for U.S. Engagement with the International Court”, Century Foundation, Washington D.C., 2008.

“The Constitutionality of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court”, in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Vol. 98 (2008), pp. 983-1068 (co-author with Ashely Cox).

“Atrocity Crimes Framing the Responsibility to Protect”, in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, Vol. 40 (2008), pp. 111-135.

“Introduction: Atrocity Crimes Litigation During 2007”, in Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 6 (2008), pp. 375-381.

“The Growing Relevance and Enforceability of Corporate Human Rights Responsibility”, in Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 6 (2008), pp. 218-221.

“Staying the Course with the International Criminal Court”, in China Review of International Criminal Law, Vol. 1 (2006), pp. 348 ff.

“A Review of the Experiences of the Pre-Trial and Appeals Chambers of the International Criminal Court Regarding the Disclosure of Evidence”, in Leiden Journal of International Law, Vol. 21 (2008), pp. 151-163.

“How Reform Initiatives Can Bridge the Gulf Between the United States and The International Criminal Court”, in Agata Filjalkowski (editor), “International Institutional Reform: Proceedings of The Seventh Hague Joint Conference”, T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague, 2007.

“Foreword”, in David Hawk, “Concentrations of Inhumanity”, Freedom House, Washington D.C., 2007.

“The End of Exceptionalism in War Crimes”, in ILSA Quarterly, Vol. 16 (2007), pp. 16-23 (co-author with Richard Cooper and Juliette Voinov Kohler).

“The Unbearable Constancy of Atrocity Crimes in Darfur and the Eastern Congo”, in Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 5 (2007), pp. 322 ff.

“The World Court’s Fractured Ruling on Genocide”, in Genocide Studies and Prevention, Vol. 2 (2007), pp. 123-136.

“The End of Exceptionalism in War Crimes”, in Harvard International Review, 2007 (co-author with Richard Cooper and Juliette Voinov Kohler).

“International Criminal Court: Introductory Note to Decision on the Prosecution Application under Article 58(7) of the Statute in the Case of The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Muhammad Harun (“Ahmad Harun”) and Ali Muhammad Al Abd-Al-Rahman (“Ali Kushayb”) ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I”, in International Legal Materials, Vol. 46 (2007), pp. 532 ff.

“The Merits of Unifying Terms: 'Atrocity Crimes' and 'Atrocity Law', in Genocide Studies and Prevention, Vol. 2 (2007), pp. 91-96.

“Introductory Note to Military Commissions Act of 2006”, in International Legal Materials, Vol. 45 (2006), pp. 1241 ff.

“Genocide and Atrocity Crimes”, in Genocide Studies and Prevention, Vol. 1 (2006), pp. 229-250.

“What if a Different U.S. Strategy Had built a Different Court for Iraq?”, in Michael P. Scharf and Gregory S. McNeal (editors), “Saddam On Trial: Understanding and Debating the Iraqi High Tribunal”, Carolina Academic Press, Durham, 2006, pp. 98-101.

“Who Won the Battle of Wills in the December Proceedings of the Saddam Trial?”, in Michael P. Scharf and Gregory S. McNeal (editors), “Saddam On Trial: Understanding and Debating the Iraqi High Tribunal”, Carolina Academic Press, Durham, 2006, pp. 129 ff.

“What Happens to the Saddam Trial if Civil War Consumes Iraq?”, in Michael P. Scharf and Gregory S. McNeal (editors), “Saddam On Trial: Understanding and Debating the Iraqi High Tribunal”, Carolina Academic Press, Durham, 2006, pp. 215-217.

“The Future U.S. Relationship with the International Criminal Court”, in Pace International Law Review, Vol. 18 (2006), pp. 801 ff.

“Blueprint for Legal Reforms at the United Nations and the International Criminal Court”, in Georgetown Journal of International Law, Vol. 36 (2005), pp. 683 ff.

“The Collective International Responsibility to Protect: The Case of Darfur, Reforming the United Nations: The Use of Force to Safeguard International Security and Human Rights”, in Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights, Vol. 5 (2005), pp. 118 ff.

“Article 98(2) of the Rome Statute: America’s Original Intent”, in Journal of International Criminal Justice, Vol. 3 (2005), No. 2, pp. 333 ff.

“Nuremberg Trials”, in Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Macmillan Reference USA, 2004.

“Lessons from the Rwandan Genocide”, in Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 5 (2004), No. 2, pp. 149 ff.

“Three Memories from the Year of Origin: 1993”, in Journal of International Criminal Justice, Vol. 2 (2004), No. 2, pp. 353-360.

“How to Turn the Tide Using the Rome Statute’s Temporal Jurisdiction”, in Journal of International Criminal Justice, Vol. 2 (2004), No. 1, pp. 26-34.

“Beyond Occupation Law”, in American Journal of International Law, Vol. 97 (2003), No. 4, pp. 842-860.

“Arresting War Criminals: Mission Creep or Mission Impossible?”, in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, Vol. 35 (2003), pp. 319-324.

“Restoring U.S. Engagement with the International Criminal Court”, in Wisconsin International Law Journal, Vol. 21 (2003), No. 3, pp. 599-610.

“Advancing U.S. Interests with the International Criminal Court”, in Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 36 (2003), No. 5, pp. 1567-1578.

“Should the United States Join the International Criminal Court?”, in U.C. Davis Journal of International Law and Policy, Vol. 9 (2002), No. 1, pp. 45-52.

“War Crimes and the Clinton Administration”, in Social Research, Vol. 69 (2002), No. 4, pp. 1109-1117.

“The Future of Atrocity Law”, in Suffolk Transnational Law Review, Volume 25 (2002), pp. 389 ff.

“Staying the Course with the International Criminal Court”, in Cornell International Law Journal, Vol. 35 (2001), No. 1, pp. 47 ff.

“Fourteenth Waldemar A. Solf Lecture in International Law: A Negotiator’s Perspective on the International Criminal Court”, in Military Law Review, Vol. 167 (2001), No.1, pp. 1-18.

“Options for Prosecuting International Terrorists”, in Special Report No. 78, US Institute of Peace, 2001, pp. 16 ff.

“The U.S. Perspective on the ICC”, in Sarah B. Sewall and Carl Kaysen (editors), “The United States and the International Criminal Court: National Security and International Law”, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Lanham, 2000.

“The International Criminal Court: The Challenge of Jurisdiction”, in The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 93 (1999), pp. 68-72.

“U.S. Policy and the International Criminal Court”, in Cornell International Law Journal, Vol. 32 (1999), No. 3, pp. 529-534.

“Blaine Sloan Lecture: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity”, in Pace International Law Review, Vol. 11 (1999), No. 2, pp. 319 ff.

“The United States and the International Criminal Court”, in American Journal of International Law, Vol. 93 (1999), No. 1, pp. 12-22.

“Engagement in Ethnic Conflicts”, in David Wippman (editor), “International Law and Ethnic Conflict”, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1998, pp. 368 ff.

“1995 Legal Regulation of the Use of Force”, in Lori Fisler Damrosch, Gennady M. Danilenko, Rein Mullerson (editors), “Beyond Confrontation: International Law for the Post-Cold War Era”, Westview Press, Boulder, 1995, pp. 372 ff.

“United Nations Peace Operations and Prospects for a Standby Force”, in Cornell International Law Journal, Vol. 28 (1995), pp. 649-660.

“United States: Administration Policy on Reforming Multilateral Peace Operations”, in International Legal Materials, Vol. 33 (1994), pp. 795-813.

“International Legal Implications of a PRC Use of Military Force Against Taiwan”, in P. Chang and M. Lasater (editors), “If China Crosses the Taiwan Strait: The International Response”, University of America Press, Lanham, 1993.

“Toward a Modern Doctrine of Humanitarian Intervention”, in University of Toledo Law Review, Vol. 23 (1992), pp. 253 ff.

“Collective Security and the New Europe”, in Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 29 (1991), No. 3, pp. 524-554.

“Structuring a New Security Regime in Europe”, in Proceedings of the Annual Meeting (American Society of International Law), Vol. 85 (1991), pp. 277-302 (co-author with Philip Bobbitt, Jane Stromseth, John Evans, and Torsten E. Stein).

“The Great Debate of the 1980s”, in “Right V. Might: International Law and the Use of Force”, 2nd Edition, Council on Foreign Relations, 1991, pp. 1 ff.

“Use of Force After the Cold War: Panama, Iraq, and the New World Order”, in “Right V. Might: International Law and the Use of Force”, 2nd Edition, Council on Foreign Relations, 1991, pp. 109 ff.

“Non-Judicial State Remedies and the Jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice”, in Stanford Journal of International Law, Vol. 27 (1990), No. 1, pp. 83-154.

“Perpich v. Department of Defense”, in American Journal of International Law, Vol. 84 (1990), No. 4, pp. 914-921.

“U.S. Law and the Iran-Contra Affair”, in American Journal of International Law, Vol. 81 (1987), No. 3, pp. 696-723.

“The Law of Treaty Termination as Applied to the United States Derecognition of the Republic of China”, in Harvard International Law Journal, Vol. 19 (1978), p. 931.