In response to the Tribune editorial “An idea too far ahead of its time” (June 21), I strongly believe an International Criminal Court is needed now. The punishment of genocide, war crimes, persistent abuse of women and crimes against humanity should be the international community’s highest human rights priority, and America should lead the way.
As the Tribune noted, overly broad definitions of crimes would be dangerous, and much effort is being expended in Rome to limit the crimes within the court’s jurisdiction to those listed above.
The United States need not fear intrusion by the court because effective national court systems, such as we have in the United States, will not be overridden when our courts prosecute these crimes adequately. Only when nations are unwilling or unable to act will the International Criminal Court take jurisdiction.
States of the U.N. Security Council should not dictate which matters can be pursued because local political interests in oppressive nations would likely lead to the court’s failure.
Unlike the Tribune, I believe that an effective court imposing clearly defined laws will deter criminals, as does law enforcement everywhere. Equally important, it will lead to the arrest of suspected perpetrators before–not after–hundreds, thousands or millions more perish.