Now that both the Democrats and the Republicans have released their official party platforms for 2012, they can be compared side-by-side.  We've done all of the legwork for you and have summarized their main stances on a number of issues. Hyperlinks are included and they will take you to the pertinent section of that party's platform if you want to read the actual text.  

Update September 6: Changes made on the floor of the Democratic Convention have resulted in the platform stating that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and that the status of Jerusalem as an Israeli holding is a condition for any peace talks.

Ambassador Stephen J. Rapp, U.S. Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice, spoke on July 4^th in Delft at "A Grotian Moment: The International Criminal Court, The U.S. and The Hague Tradition."

It’s exciting to hear Ambassador Rapp speaking about the U.S. and the ICC at such an event.  I hope this signals good things to come for the relationship between the U.S. and the Court and our country’s continued engagement with the ICC.

Watch Ambassador Rapp's speech below:

We're excited to announce a unique opportunity to join our exclusive webinar, "A Giant Step Towards 'Never Again:' 10 Years of International Justice." The webinar will be held this Saturday at 1:00 PM EST and feature a discussion on the International Criminal Court as it celebrates the 10th anniversary since its creation. The webinar will feature esteemed speakers Luis Moreno Ocampo, former Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, and Ben Ferencz, professor and former Nuremberg Prosecutor.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first permanent international judicial body capable of trying individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so.  Its founding treaty, the Rome Statute, entered into force on July 1, 2002 thereby creating the Court and its ability to prosecute war criminals.

 As of April 2012, 121 states are parties to the Statue of the Court and thirty-two others, including the United States, have signed but not ratified the Rome Statute. There have been 28 indictments, 20 warrants of arrest, 15 cases brought to the Court, six of which are currently on trial, and 9 successful summonses. The court celebrated a landmark moment when it completed its first trial in March 2012, convicting Thomas Lubanga of the Democratic Republic of the Congo of using child soldiers.

Today, the International Criminal Court's (ICC) first trial was completed with the sentencing of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo to fourteen years in prison.  Lubanga, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was found guilty by the Court in March of conscripting child soldiers for use in battle.

This first sentencing is certainly a landmark moment for the ICC.  It's good to see the Court complete a trial and ensure that a vicious warlord will be put away, though it's a bit disheartening to see the length of the sentence is shorter than what the ICC Prosecutor had recommended.  The prosecution had asked for Lubanga to serve 30 years for his crimes.  His sentence is further reduced because the six years he's been in custody will count toward his incarceration, so he will only serve an additional eight years (with the possibility of getting out even sooner due to good behavior).

With all that said, I'm still happy to see some measure of justice done in today's sentencing of Lubanga.  I'm proud to see the ICC reach this milestone moment, and I hope this sentence brings some measure of peace to Lubanga's victims and their families.  I look forward to a future in which the Court succeeds in putting many other war criminals behind bars where they belong.

For those of us who are passionate about international justice, yesterday marked an extraordinary milestone. The International Criminal Court (ICC), the world's first permanent international court, celebrated its 10^th anniversary. However, its roots go back much further than a mere decade.

The ICC traces its heritage in part back to the Nuremberg trials after World War Two, in which the U.S. played a leading role. Nazi war criminals were put on trial and brought to justice for horrific crimes against humanity committed during the war, and the international community vowed "never again" to allow such atrocities to happen on its watch. Tragically, this promise remained unfulfilled as the 20^th century continued to witness genocides in places as diverse as Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, and Sudan. The need for a permanent international body to bring war criminals to justice remained glaring.

In 1998, representatives from around the world met in Rome, Italy to firm up plans for such an international court. The result was the Rome Statute and the creation of the ICC. The Court officially came into being on July 1, 2002.

Sixty-seven years ago, the world came together in the hopes of creating an international institution that would advance international peace and security, vowing that the atrocities of World War II would never come to fruition again. Identifying common definitions of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, a foundation had been set. The United Nations, the product of this cross-border understanding, has done much towards upholding this call but often is stunted by the powerful veto allowed to the Permanent Five members of the U.N. Security Council.

Seeing the need for an independent body to further deter serious crimes and end criminal impunity, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was born. On July 1, 2002 the Rome Statute was ratified by 60 countries, now joined by 61 others (121 total), of whom have identified the significance of such a court.

In the 10 year anniversary of the Court's proceedings, it is imperative to highlight its accomplishments and to work in further supporting its efforts. We need to reassert the global call from  1945 to uphold international peace and security, together.

Today, Fatou Bensouda was sworn in as the new Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), replacing the Court's first Prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo.  Bensouda is the first woman and African to hold this position.

Bensouda, who is from Gambia, previously served as ICC Deputy Prosecutor, working closely with Ocampo, so it seems the first Prosecutor-to-Prosecutor transfer of power in the Court's history should go smoothly.  Her experience is impressive, and additionally, the fact that she is an African woman will likely help to blunt the perception on the part of some critics that the ICC is targeting Africa unfairly in its investigations.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Prosecutor Bensouda speak at an event at the Assembly of States Parties meeting last December.  She made compelling reference to the need for the Court to focus its attention on gender-based violence and bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice.  I was impressed by Bensouda, and I look forward to seeing what her next steps as Prosecutor will be as the Court nears its milestone 10^th anniversary in July.

Congratulations, Prosecutor Bensouda! And thank you to former Prosecutor Ocampo for all of your efforts to establish the Court's role in bringing about international justice.