In This Case, Might Is Right

It looks bad. But the U.S. should be wary of the International Criminal Court

Who could be against bringing war criminals to justice? On the face of it, the Bush Administration, which wants U.S. armed forces to be immune from prosecution before the new International Criminal Court (ICC). High-handed American arrogance again? Not exactly.

The U.S. is not a party to the treaty that established the court. (President Clinton signed the treaty, with many reservations, but the Bush Administration has "unsigned" it.) Despite what you might suppose, Washington is not alone; neither China nor India has signed the treaty, and Russia has not ratified it. But under the treaty's terms, American soldiers could be...

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