“Bogus claim of jurisdiction” - Congressional opposition to the ICC in the 2000s

Abstract

Despite helping develop the Rome Statute, when it came to signing the International Criminal Court (ICC), America stepped out. They argued that their forces were a major power in peacekeeping, and claimed to fear the indictment of their own servicemen. But was this really the case? By analyzing a meeting record between the Congress of Foreign Relations, this paper seeks to find the congressional opinion as to why they didn’t sign the ICC. In taking into account both conservative and democratic views, the meeting records reveal that America refused to sign the ICC because they believed the Court was unreliable and lacked civil rights, as opposed to fear of indictment.