Alison Bisset's multi-level evaluation of the relationship between the two most commonly used transitional justice mechanisms identifies and analyses the challenges posed by their contemporaneous operation at national, inter-state and international levels and formulates proposals to enable their effective coexistence.

This detailed evaluation of the relationship between trials and truth commissions challenges their assumed compatibility through an analysis of their operational features at national, inter-state and international levels. Alison Bisset conducts case-study analyses of national practice in South Africa, East Timor and Sierra Leone, evaluates the problems posed by the International Criminal Court and considers the challenges presented by the possibility of bystander state prosecutions. At each level, she highlights potential operational conflicts and formulates targeted proposals to enable effective coexistence.