■"Lessons From a 'Textbook' War Crimes Trial: Milosevic Proves Adept at Throwing Wrenches Into the Works," by Marlise Simons, New York Times, 19 September 2004, p. A4.

Slobodan Milosevic's trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hauge was supposed to set a new gold standard, his being the first trial of a European leader for war crimes since Nuremburg and the Nazis. But surprise! He's not cooperating and his boycotting of his own defense is making it hard for the case to proceed. In effect, he's putting on much the same good show Herman Goering did back in Nuremburg, and for now, his back and forth over his blood pressure (he stops taking his meds) and his regular outbursts over the "joint criminal enterprise" of the ICC is just enough to keep the train from leaving the station.

Should it? Many legal experts say that to expect Milosevic to cooperate is sheer folly, so the ICC better get used to it and move on, otherwise it risks looking like a paper tiger, something that would give cheer to the Charles Taylors and Saddam Husseins of the world.