Michael Scharf is the John Deaver Drinko - Baker & Hostetler Professor of Law and the Associate Dean for Global Legal Studies, with supervisory responsibility over the international law centers, institutes, and programs at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Scharf is also the host of "Talking Foreign Policy," a radio program broadcast on WCPN 90.3 FM (Cleveland's NPR station). In addition, he serves as President of the International Criminal Law Network and Managing Director of the Public International Law and Policy Group, a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated NGO. During a sabbatical in 2008, Scharf served as Special Assistant to the Prosecutor of the Cambodia Genocide Tribunal. During the elder Bush and Clinton Administrations, Scharf served in the Office of the Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State, where he held the positions of Attorney-Adviser for Law Enforcement and Intelligence, Attorney-Adviser for United Nations Affairs, and delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. A graduate of Duke University School of Law (Order of the Coif and High Honors), and judicial clerk to Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat on the Eleventh Circuit Federal Court of Appeals, Scharf is the author of over seventy scholarly articles and fourteen books, including "The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda" which was awarded the American Society of International Law's Certificate of Merit for outstanding book in 1999, and "Enemy of the State: The Trial and Execution of Saddam Hussein," which won the International Association of Penal Law's book of the year award for 2009. His latest book is "Shaping Foreign Policy in Times of Crisis: The Role of International Law and the State Department Legal Adviser" (Cambridge University Press, 2010). A past recipient of the Case Western Reserve University School of Law Alumni Association's "Distinguished Teacher Award" and Ohio Magazine's "Excellence in Education Award," Scharf teaches International Law, International Criminal Law, the Law of International Organizations, and the War Crimes Research Lab.

My interest in this area began when I served as Counsel to the Counter Terrorism Bureau and Attorney-Adviser for United Nations Affairs at the U.S. Department of State during the Bush (Sr) and Clinton Administrations. As Executive Director of the Public International Law and Policy Group, which has headquarters at Case Western Reserve Law School, I continue to provide legal assistance to a number of foreign governments and international organizations in need of specialized public international legal counsel. (See www.Publicinternationallaw.org).

I teach largely through simulations, roll play exercises, and debates designed to bring the reading material to life. I have authored case books on "International Criminal Law" and "The Law of International Organizations" which are designed to facilitate this "active learning" method. In addition, I strive to infuse my classroom presentations with my real-world experience as well as insights gained from my research and writing, which spans the publication of thirteen books and seventy law review articles.

Sponsored by a grant from the Open Society Institution, the Cox Center's War Crimes Research Office, which I direct, serves as a focal point of several unique programs dealing with accountability for violations of international humanitarian law. Foremost among these is the International War Crimes Lab, in which students under my supervision undertake legal research and submit legal memoranda to the International Prosecutors of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the International Criminal Court, the Iraqi High Tribunal, the Uganda War Crimes Chamber, and the Kenya Piracy Tribunal on issues pending before the tribunals. Issues range from the contours of command responsibility to the interpretation of the Genocide Convention. In addition, the War Crimes Research Office sponsors an annual symposium, in which students get a chance to meet State Department officials, international prosecutors and judges, military commanders, human rights advocates, prominent journalists, and eminent scholars.

I love to work closely with students outside the classroom and enjoy serving as faculty adviser to the Journal of International Law and International Law Society, and as the faculty coach of the School of Law's Jessup International Law Moot Court Team, which has won the National Regional Competition in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010, and won the World Championship Round in 2008.