Originally published on the CGS blog on September 23, 2007.
I stumbled across this op-ed by lawyer Rebecca Roe in the Seattle Times earlier this week, and thought some of you might find it interesting. Here’s the money quote:
The absence of U.S. participation in the ICC is an embarrassment. Americans believe in justice; and as a society, we believe people who commit atrocious acts should be brought to account and punished. These values are the foundation of our criminal-justice system: accountability, punishment and restitution. The rule of law has made America the great nation that it is, and the goals of the American justice system are the goals of the ICC.
We cannot reshape societies and eliminate ethnic hatred. We can and we must help achieve accountability. To stand idly by is to suggest the slaughter of thousands of innocent people is not a moral transgression worthy of our time and effort.
If you agree with Ms. Roe’s above assessment of the United States and ICC, I’d highly recommend reading the piece in its entirety.
