Advocates of the 'Nuremberg legacy' emphasize the positive impact of the individualization of responsibility and the establishment of an historical record through judicial procedures for 'war crimes'. This legacy has been cited in the context of the establishment and operation of the UN ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals in the 1990s, as well as for the International Criminal Court.

The problem with this legacy, however, is that it is based solely on the experience of West Germany. Furthermore, the effect of the procedure on post-conflict society has not been empirically...