The conviction of Charles Taylor last week prompted mixed scenes of celebration and outrage across Liberia – the country he ruled with an iron first, and Sierra Leone – the country he brutalised by facilitating the murderous Revolutionary United Front (RUF) insurgency from 1991 to 2002. It also marks an historic moment for international justice. For this is the first time that any individual has been convicted by an international tribunal for crimes committed as a serving head of state.
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Today's intervention in Libya - despite the muddled protestations of far left and anti-war groups - has its roots in Mladic's butchery, the world's failure to prevent it and determination that the same should not unfold on the streets of Misrata and Benghazi.
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