Last month, after months of jockeying for influence, member states of the International Criminal Court held a secret ballot to determine the court’s next chief prosecutor. The winner was Karim Khan, a British lawyer with extensive experience on both the prosecutorial and defense side of international criminal cases. Khan will be only the third person to hold the job. 

He will take over from the current chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, at a time when the ICC faces some difficult questions about what kind of institution it will be. This week on Trend Lines, WPR’s Elliot Waldman is joined by Kyle Rapp, a doctoral candidate specializing in international law at the University of Southern California, to discuss Khan’s vision for the ICC and the difficult balancing act he will be faced with in his new role.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

An ICC Investigation Into War Crimes Is Key to Securing Peace in Afghanistan

The International Criminal Court Is in Danger of Being Bullied Into Irrelevance

The ICC Is Flawed. Is It Still Africa’s Best Hope for Justice?

Can International Justice Survive in an Age of Renewed Nationalist Fervor?

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.