The greatest strides toward an enhanced global architecture have been taken in the area of international justice. Less than a decade ago, impunity for tyrants was the rule. The world's most heinous human rights criminals committed atrocities knowing that they could use intimidation and violence to fend off accountability. This impunity was an affront to the victims and an encouragement of further atrocities.

Today, the world is a far smaller place for tyrants because there are fewer places to escape justice. New international tribunals are being launched. These tribunals, in turn, have catalyzed national prosecutorial efforts, demonstrating that international justice serves to reinforce rather than replace national justice. Moreover, the actions of several Southern governments have made clear that justice for the worst human rights offenders is hardly an exclusively Northern concern. The most pronounced sour note in this steady progress has been the U.S. government's persistent opposition to having its citizens held to the same legal standards as the rest of the world.