The period from 1979 to 1986 solidified the centrality of individual accountability within international criminal law, advancing a normative theory of punishment that linked the legality of armed conflict to personal responsibility. Scholars combined doctrinal analysis with historical-political context, shaping how accountability could be pursued amid evolving transitional justice debates. The literature began to bridge ius ad bellum and ius in bello, clarifying the scope of criminal liability for aggression and war crimes and laying groundwork for later jurisprudence.