Document Type : scientific
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Abstract
Despite being among the most pressing issues confronting contemporary human society, international crimes have, for understandable reasons, received relatively little attention within criminological studies. The present study seeks to provide a criminological analysis of such crimes. Methodologically, this analysis is grounded in Georg Simmel’s theory of social forms, according to which the forms of sociation and conflict, along with their constituent elements, are theoretically explained in light of psychological and historical contexts. This theoretical framework offers an analytical foundation for understanding the emergence of international conflicts. The central concept derived from this analysis is the formation of a mental world in which the “self” is regarded as superior—on historical, national, racial, religious, or sectarian grounds—leading to the perception of the “other” as inferior. Consequently, an objective world of intolerance emerges, resulting in the denial, elimination, and violation of the other’s territory, identity, and physical and psychological integrity, culminating in the commission of international crimes. This theoretical framework helps explain the criminogenic dynamics behind, inter alia, the First and Second World Wars, the conflicts in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and the genocidal acts committed against the Palestinian people.
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