Courting American support
The Washington Post's Nora Boustany describes the changed atmosphere in Washington regarding the International Criminal Court. Now, as the court prepares to begin public hearings on its first case, the debate among senior U.S. military officials seems to be shifting away from staunch opposition, and a fresh assessment of the court seems to be underway. The ...
The Washington Post's Nora Boustany describes the changed atmosphere in Washington regarding the International Criminal Court.
Now, as the court prepares to begin public hearings on its first case, the debate among senior U.S. military officials seems to be shifting away from staunch opposition, and a fresh assessment of the court seems to be underway. The new attitude has been prompted in part by the court's record since it began operations three years ago; Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, an Argentine, has dismissed hundreds of petitions for cases against the United States.
Iraq and Afghanistan have provided the ICC a quick opportunity to dispel the Pentagon's worst fears, and the court has seized the chance to show that it's after janjaweed - not GIs. With American hostility muted, the court now needs to catch and try those it has indicted. Appearing harmless to the superpower was an important challenge; inspiring fear among its targets is the next one.
The Washington Post's Nora Boustany describes the changed atmosphere in Washington regarding the International Criminal Court.
Now, as the court prepares to begin public hearings on its first case, the debate among senior U.S. military officials seems to be shifting away from staunch opposition, and a fresh assessment of the court seems to be underway. The new attitude has been prompted in part by the court's record since it began operations three years ago; Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, an Argentine, has dismissed hundreds of petitions for cases against the United States.
Iraq and Afghanistan have provided the ICC a quick opportunity to dispel the Pentagon's worst fears, and the court has seized the chance to show that it's after janjaweed – not GIs. With American hostility muted, the court now needs to catch and try those it has indicted. Appearing harmless to the superpower was an important challenge; inspiring fear among its targets is the next one.
David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist
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