Book Roundtable: Adventures and Misadventures in International Justice (by Professor Michael Scharf)
Please join us for a lively book talk with Professor Michael Scharf, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, as he shares insights from his memoir, Adventures and Misadventures in International Justice (Carolina Academic Press 2026). Through engaging stories from his career, Professor Scharf explores the real-world challenges of international law—where diplomacy, ethics, and unexpected twists often collide.
“This thrilling memoir by award-winning author Michael Scharf is full of tales of adventures and misadventures in international law, spanning Scharf's four-decade career as a State Department lawyer, head of an NGO, special assistant to the prosecutor of an international tribunal, radio program host, and law school dean. Written in the breezy style of the autobiography of Mark Twain and told with a mixture of excitement and humility, this book is, in the words of the Executive Director of the International Bar Association, ‘part travelogue, part action-adventure story—and entirely mesmerizing.’” (Carolina Academic Press)
The book talk will be hosted by CSU College of Law Professor Milena Sterio and sponsored by CSU College of Law’s International Law Center.
Michael Scharf is former Dean at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Associate Dean for Global Legal Studies and the Joseph C. Hostetler—BakerHostetler Professor of Law. He also serves as Managing Director of the Public International Law & Policy Group, a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated NGO.
Before becoming a law professor 30 years ago, 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.
In 2004, Scharf trained the judges for the trial of Saddam Hussein and during a sabbatical in 2008, he served as Special Assistant to the Prosecutor of the Cambodia Genocide Tribunal. In February 2022, Scharf presented an Amicus Argument before the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court in The Hague on the question of who has the burden of proof on the insanity defense in a case involving a former child soldier.
Scharf is the author of 20 books, five of which have won national book of the year honors. A 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 continues to teach International Law and was ranked as among the most cited authors in the field since 2010 by the Sisk/Leiter study.
Since 2011, Scharf has been the producer and host of "Talking Foreign Policy," a radio program broadcast on Cleveland’s NPR station and other NPR affiliates across the country, which is also available as a podcast. In 2019 Scharf was selected for life membership in the Council on Foreign Relations, in 2020 he was elected President of the American Branch of the International Law Association, and in 2021 he was elected to the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law.
This event is free.