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Cases of genocide (the Holocaust or Rwanda), crimes against humanity, and serious war crimes are all reasons why diplomats from over 150 countries met in Rome on June 15 to finalize the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC). To this day the Rome Treaty has been signed by 139 countries and as of November 1, 2001 ratified by 43 of the countries. The United States has signed it but because of the controversy over the ICC it has not yet been ratified and probably never will be. The dream of an ICC will become a reality in the near future when the sixtieth country ratifies the treaty. The treaty is an important step towards institutionalizing the rule of law intentionally and breaking the cycle of impunity that too often benefits those who commit the worst atrocities (LCHR, (n.d.), summary 2).
If this International Criminal Court does become a reality it will be a permanent, treaty-based international tribunal that will bring to justice individuals, not countries, of those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and serious war crimes. The ICC will complement existing national judicial systems and step in only if national courts are unwilling or unable to
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There is also great controversy in the U. If effective, the ICC will extend the rule of law internationally, impelling national systems to themselves investigate and prosecute the most heinous crimes-- thus strengthening those systems-- while guaranteeing that where they fail, the ICC can operate to ensure that justice prevails over impunity. There are many standard judicial protections, which are found in the U.
Of course there are also those who believe that the United States should indeed take a step forward for international justice and instead of oppose the idea of an international criminal court, support the idea and ratify the treaty. It will have an investigatory branch as well as a separate appellate court to hear the appeals of the verdicts. For example, many countries support placing the "crime of aggression" under the jurisdiction of an ICC.
An International Criminal Court will help uphold the laws of humanity by putting those accused of such crimes as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity under trial and behind bars.
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