i may not be as idealistic as you might think...

yesterday was a rough day. my roommates and i took the tram to the icty for our first day of court and class. the study abroad office seems to enjoy providing very little information, just to make our experiences that much more enriched. it was a rough day, as we were all jet lagged and had to sit through several hours of introductory lectures and trial. but we ended the day with a welcome dinner at the galleria on the boulevard, an italian restaurant on what is very similar to a boardwalk, minus rides. i then went and had beers with another classmate near my apartment. the bar was super kitchy and beer was only 2.25 each.

today was incredible. we sat through about 4 hours of trial. this trial was for seselj, former president of the serbian radical party. he's being tried for persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds, inhumane acts, murder, torture, cruel treatment, and destruction. it was spectacular because, not only is he defending himself, but he is using the broadcasting of the trial throughout serbia for his political benefit. we met with the head prosecutor after court, daryl mundis, who explained that seselj's party is currently creating a coalition with other minority parties, and may be able to take control of the serbian government shortly. additionally, it is believed that he uses the broadcast and court sessions to communicate with his party members and give out orders. moments like these make me question the effectiveness of the icty and, even, the icc. despite these organizations, there still exists little accountability for atrocities throughout the world. and how much does trying men like seselj help the international community? in many ways his political muscle has only gotten stronger.

it's been very stimulating to be surrounded by liberal-minded law students, who are always eager to discuss the problems of the world :) just my kind of folks. unfortunately, there are no eligible bachelors.

throughout trial today i kept pondering, perhaps nancy haley wasn't so crazy afterall...perhaps i could be a prosecutor.