Stanford Humanities Center
Alina is an undergraduate majoring in History and the Law, with a minor in Human Rights. For the past four years, her studies have focused on situations of mass atrocity, laws of war, humanitarian intervention, and transitional justice. She is specifically interested in how international justice mechanisms affect societies in the aftermath of conflict. Alina has worked at the Asian International Justice Initiative in Phnom Penh, the Balkan Institute for Conflict Resolution, Responsibility, and Reconciliation in Sarajevo, the State Department’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau in Washington D.C., and the WSD Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice on campus.
SHC Project
“The Impact of the ICTY on Bosnia: Society and Memory under International Justice Regimes”
Adviser: Norman Naimark
What is the focus of your current research?
My current research is focused on evaluating the impact of international courts on societies through the specific case study of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Since the ICTY was established in the 1990s, the international community has ascribed various positive functions to international tribunals, including facilitating reconciliation, peace and stability, truth-telling, and accountability. I think war crimes trials also play an invaluable role in providing a forum for societies to come to a “historical reckoning” about the past and impose a cohesive historical narrative to transition out of conflict.
What drew you to this topic?
During my time at Stanford, I have studied many cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. These are some of the worst moments in human history, and I have found myself wondering—what happens after? Even after successful humanitarian interventions, communities that experienced mass atrocities are still left broken, devastated, and traumatized by horrible violence. And I don’t know how you witness your family, your friends, and your country being torn apart by war—and then one day, wake up and be expected to work hand in hand with people who yesterday were your enemies. How do communities who have suffered mass atrocity put themselves together again? How do you live with the people who have committed horrible crimes against you and your family? This is initially why I began studying transitional justice mechanisms and spawned my interested in the ICTY and Bosnia.
How are you conducting your research?
There are a variety of sources I will examine for my thesis. Much of it is based on research I conducted on perceptions of the ICTY during a summer researching in Bosnia and The Hague. These include interviews with civil society, academics, and court officials as well as Balkan media, political rhetoric, and some opinion polling. Additionally, I am comparing the ICTY with the effects of war crimes trials (including the Nuremberg trials, the Eichmann trials, the ECCC, etc.) and literature on the historical purposes and impact of transitional justice.
What would people be surprised to learn about the topic you are working on?
I think most people believe that international justice only dates back to the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi leaders after WWII. In fact, international or internationalized trials have been used by states for centuries! Arguably, one of the first international war crimes trials dates back to 1474, when Sir Peter von Hagenbach was tried by members of the Holy Roman Empire in Breisach for atrocities committed serving the Duke of Burgundy. (It was also one of the earliest precedents for prosecuting rape as a war crime.) Parts of the Hagenbach Prosector’s statements are credited with being the first “proto-formulation” of crimes against humanity.
In your view, why is it valuable to study this topic?
I think the fact that we see, now and historically, war crimes trials being used to address post-conflict situations points to something fundamental. Why have war crimes trials? Why not just execute vanquished foes? Why not just call for revenge? Why is there this push, among victorious states and victims alike, to see the people who wronged them on trial? I think it demonstrates that there is an important emotional component to post-conflict reconstruction to consider when thinking about transitions from conflict to peace.
How is your honors thesis impacting you academically and/or personally?
I am incredibly excited to write my honors thesis this year, and find all the stories and insights I uncover absolutely fascinating. It’s also very exciting to think that I have studied something long enough to be able to contribute to the discourse around it—and even if only my advisor and my grandmother read my thesis, I will have at least impacted someone’s thinking about international tribunals!
