Nigeria, July 28 -- On 17 July 1998 in Rome, the world made its support for international justice clear by adopting the statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). Since 2010, the 17th of July has been commemorated as International Justice Day.

The adoption of the Rome Statute was a landmark moment in the wake of genocides in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and wars ravaging Kosovo, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). So much hope rode on a permanent court with international jurisdiction designed to deter conflict, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Yet, 28 years later, the ICC and international justice are in crisis - and hope for universal accountability is shrouded by the ICC's operationa...