Dear Editor,
As the International Criminal Court takes a huge step toward resolving conflict in Darfur by releasing an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the United States is still giving the ICC the cold shoulder by all practical measures. Not only did former President Bush un-sign the Rome Statute, which is the ICC Treaty and has been signed by 138 countries, but the United States does not even take a seat at the Assembly of State Parties, the governing body of the ICC. That must change.
President al-Bashir’s indictment signals the first time an acting head of state has been called to trial by the ICC. The message is that no one is above the law and leaders accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity can no longer hide behind sovereignty.
The United States has a history of standing up for human rights and international justice, just as we did at the Nuremberg Trials. That reputation has been tarnished over the past few years, but we can claim it once again by signing the Rome Statute. The United States can help the ICC catch bad guys like al-Bashir and assist victims in seeing justice served.
As the ICC continues to gain leverage and authority, a paradigm shift will occur in the world; no longer will the powerful be free to break the law as they please and no longer will their infractions be halted only by violent military force. World leaders will be systematically put to trial for their crimes by a fair and unbiased international institution ‘mdash; the International Criminal Court.
The United States should not sit on the sidelines as the world changes around it. Because we are Americans who value freedom and the unalienable rights of all people, we must support the only body of law that can uphold these rights on a global scale. The United States must sign the Rome Statute again and take a seat at the next Assembly of State Parties.