Book Review: The Archival Politics of International Courts, Henry Alexander Redwood, Cambridge University Press, 2021

The archive of international criminal tribunals is a topic that is insufficiently researched and published. The Archival Politic of International Courts by Henry Alexander Redwood seeks to close this gap by examining the process of archiving and preserving the records of international tribunals. The author delves into the records of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to analyze the vital role that archives play in understanding the formation of community, especially through the lens of the victims and witnesses and their role in the trial process. Redwood is critical of the ICTR’s ability to remain neutral in creating the archive. He addresses the political tensions and power dynamics that exist in adjudicating international criminal cases outside of the country where the crimes were committed. The book does not offer lessons learned or best practices to practitioners with issues triggered by the archives. The author does not tackle the challenges of managing the archive from the perspective of the tribunal stakeholders. However, the historical critique he provides, as well as the link between international tribunals and colonial archives are academically interesting; they spawn questions about neutrality, which may in turn prove to be useful to the designers and planners of international judicial institutions and adjudicators of cases. Redwood’s book is meticulously researched and thought provoking and forces the readers to stop and reevaluate their own thinking about the impact of international tribunals and the vital role the archive plays in the functioning of the courts, especially with respect to accountability.