Madame Prosecutor

November 3, 2008
Del Ponte, protagonist of this dogged, hard-nosed memoir, was chief prosecutor for the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the biggest war crimes prosecution since WWII. Her investigations had her ousted from the Rwandan tribunal and insulted in Yugoslavia (“Carla is a whore,” Belgrade billboards proclaimed), and she lacked police powers to compel cooperation or even respect. Her mission became a battle between moral dudgeon and realpolitik. She repeatedly importunes government officials, especially the Serbs, to arrest and deliver up influential citizens for prosecution as war criminals; when they respond with evasions and stonewalling, she importunes world leaders to use their clout to force compliance with the tribunal's warrants. She accomplished much, including the prosecution of Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, but the memoir wears itself out detailing her interminable, fruitless efforts to apprehend Serbian fugitives Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Del Ponte sometimes comes off as chief scold; even Vatican officials incur tongue-lashings. Her implacable quest for justice is admirable and at times illuminating, but it makes for a repetitive and exhausting read.

December 15, 2008
Del Ponte was the attorney general of Switzerland, aggressively prosecuting money-laundering cases against the Mafia, when she was tapped for the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and for the former Yugoslavia. The job of chief prosecutor was tailor-made for Del Ponte, who had taken on what she calls the "culture of impunity" that made Mafia bosses almost impossible to prosecute, and she was equally determined to bring those responsible for genocide to justice. But she soon found herself fighting not only criminals but governments, the UN, and even her own staff. She had triumphs (Milan Babic took a plea bargain) and disappointments (Slobodan Milosevic died during trial; Radovan Karadzic was arrested only after her tenure was up). The writing is dry and awkward, probably because English is not Del Ponte's first language, but her strength and determination to break through the "muro di gomma" (wall of rubber, or diplomatic doubletalk) and fight the culture of impunity shine through. An important story that belongs in all academic libraries and in large public libraries where there is interest.Deirdre Bray Root, Middletown P.L., OH

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.