The Rome Statute

I mentioned previously the Rome Statute. It is an international law treaty which defines international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, and establishes the International Criminal Court to address these crimes.

Citizens, including politicians and military officials, belonging to nations that sign and ratify the treaty, are held accountable for the commission of these kinds of international crimes. Ninety-four countries have thus far ratified the Rome Statute. Unfortunately, many countries have not yet ratified it. The more notable of these countries are the US, China, and Russia. Bill Clinton signed the statute near the end of his presidency, but his successor, George W Bush, has made it clear that he has no intention to ratify. I single the US out not because it is an "evil" country (I don't think it is), though its current government's deeds have been far from virtuous in many respects. It is because they are the most powerful country in the world, and a fair criminal justice system must be able to address the potential (and currently, the actual) irresponsible use of power by the powerful. I would also place China in that category.

What is happening currently is the US is seeing fit to play world police. The Iraq war and occupation is a blatant example of this. We also know that the current White House, if allowed to continue, will not stop at Iraq, because of its financial and ideological interests. We also know that in Iraq, there have been numerous examples of crimes against humanity and war crimes which have been committed by people in the name of the US government. It is because of these vested interests, and these crimes, that we need a fair international criminal justice system, where nobody, including the US, is above the law. It is inherently wrong for one country, be it the US or any other, to apply its own moral standards as living concepts of international law to impose on others.

For more information on the Rome Statute and the ICC, click here. Also, check out Amnesty's International Justice campaign.