On 7 August, she finally had enough. Carla del Ponte, former UN Prosecutor for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, told reporters that she was stepping down as a member of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria. Since 2011, the UN panel has meticulously documented mass atrocities committed by all sides of the Syrian war. And yet, its investigations have not led to the creation of any tribunal or court, prompting Del Ponte to denounce it as an “alibi” for the international community. Why has criminal accountability – as a major element in the broader search for justice – remained so elusive in Syria? Which pathways, both well-trodden and novel, have been tried to circumvent political roadblocks? Where could the international community still do more?