When you say you are flying to Amsterdam, people’s eyes light up as they seem to only think of the red light district and hash bars. My trip to the Netherlands would instead simply capitalize on what I call the “law-dork” in me. I went directly from the airport to The Hague and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. After having worked on a case last spring through a “remote internship” for the Tribunal, I felt it was important to see it in person while I could. I got there in time to catch the afternoon session of the Popovic, et. al. trial. The transparency of the court is impressive; seats behind a glass window for public viewing, headsets to accommodate the different languages, instantaneous translations, a TV screen so viewers can also see exhibits being used in court and all of this streamed live via the ICTY website as well. Nevertheless, with the conflict years in hindsight and Milosevic dead, there doesn’t seem to be too many people taking advantage of this opportunity. At the security entrance, I was asked if I was one of the defence attorneys. When I said that I was simply a member of the public who wished to observe a trial, there was a bit of a blank stare before it sank in. Thus, I was as surprised as the security personnel when I had company for the latter half of the afternoon. My fellow observer and I chatted a bit. I figured she must be either an attorney or a law student as well. Instead she was an Irish accountant, who was interested in human rights issues, having had a bit of those in her own country. I grinned to myself as she held consistent with my thus-far experience of every Irish person I meet being very well-educated, worldly, and multi-faceted!

After a quick cup of tea with an attorney friend-of-a-friend, I met up with my host for the weekend. In my most attenuated connection yet, I had found Dragan – or he had found me – via a posting on the Tribunal intranet that an American law student/Tribunal extern was looking for a couch to sleep on. Essentially, I was staying with a stranger. But I’m big on intuition in these situations and my gut feeling from Dragan’s email and a quick phone conversation was all good.

Now, if you’ve been reading along at all, you know that I have taken a few side trips while living in London - to Scotland, Chamonix, Dublin, and Paris. Although travelling alone, I have managed to meet up with a friend or acquaintance on the other end in all cases. On my flight over to The Netherlands, I realized this would be the first trip where I did not know anyone ahead of arriving. Thanks to Dragan’s generous hospitality and great company, I would end up feeling like I was simply visiting an old friend!

The Hague is a cool town, with a very eclectic assortment of old and new architecture, even including a new town hall by Richard Meier, which received mixed reviews from the city (but of course made me think of Janine and our cross-country trip so many years ago!). I toured: the Binnenhof – the seat of the Netherlands parliament, the Peace Palace – location of the International Court of Justice, and Mauritshaus – the small, beautiful Dutch museum housing Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring, as well as walking around the city a bit. Heading to Amsterdam mid-day on Saturday, I had time for one of the generic boat tours, a trip through Anne Frank's house, and a nice (quick) dinner before getting to the airport for a late night flight back to London.

After thinking and talking about the Bosnian War and the work of the Tribunal, the sobering visit to Anne Frank’s house seemed a fitting end to my short trip. Afterall, the Tribunal is the first time since Nuremberg that war crimes would be prosecuted at a global level. The small space has no furniture and relies on text from her diary and sparse interactive exhibits to tell the story. The impact is huge. There can be no overstating the importance of holding the perpetrators of these crimes accountable. Yet, there are still people today that question whether the expense of setting up a tribunal and prosecuting crimes committed more than a decade ago is “worth it.” As Americans or citizens of countries who have been fortunate to know no such atrocities, it may be easy to take this detached, economic view. But, what if the woman who was raped by soldiers was your sister? What if it was your neighbors who drove you from your home? Imagine not knowing the fate of your friends as you fled your own country. Imagine losing everything, but your life and yet knowing that others were not so fortunate. Then, would any amount of money be too much to bring justice to those who acted as though they were beyond the law?

--- the Binnenhof by moonlight ---

--- Mauritshaus musuem; next door to the Binnenhof ---

--- the Peace Palace ---

--- with stairs like this... ---

--- ... you need hooks like these to get furniture into the upper floors! ---

--- modern architecture rises above the Binnenhof ---

--- everyone really does ride a bike in Holland ---