What's the Problem With the ICC

I have been doing lots of research about US policy toward the ICC and I just had a few thoughts that I needed to share.

The main issue I have with the Administration’s ICC policy is the fact that there is actually no official policy.

When there is no formal policy there can be no formal action. Despite what the Administration would have you believe most of the statements they make about the ICC are pure rhetoric. The disconnect between our public statements and private action (e.g. calling for increased engagement with the court but not repealing the American Servicemen Protection Act which limits our ability to engage) is causing confusion with in our own country and the international community. We can not continue to say one thing and do another.

The 2010 National Security Strategy emphasized that the United States "moral leadership is grounded principally in the power of our example” and if we appear hypocritical to the international community we will never be able to provide the leadership that the ICC (or any international organization) needs.