Somewhere in the Middle: Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials as a Model for Postwar Trials in Iraq

Research into methods for defeat of an ideology suggest that three areas must be considered when attacking an ideology legitimacy, reeducation, and economy. But the deeper problem of fear must be addressed before they can be addressed. Reduction of fear in a nation requires a return of the rule of law, the defining event of which is the creation and implementation of a judicial system to try war criminals. Do postwar Germany and Japan provide lessons in the creation and implementation of a judicial system to try war criminals of the former Iraqi regime? This study concludes that Post World War II trials provide a valid historical reference for the creation of a court for war criminals in Iraq. Differences in the creation and conduct of the two trials give insight into lessons that must be inculcated into a modern trial. Additionally, they have become instilled in the judiciary of the United Nations with the Nuremberg trials becoming the model upon which international law was codified.