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I came to this question by means of studying the International Criminal Court this semester in my International Human Rights class. It really is astonishing how much hate and vitrol has been levied by the Bush Administration and ordinary Americans against a court which will have absolutely no effect on Americans, whether they be soldiers or civilians.
The ICC, for example, can only prosecute if the home country is unwilling or unable to investigate charges. Unwilling means a sham investigation in order to avoid ICC jurisdiction. If a country does any competent investigation (which the US has done for any complaint against its armed forces) the ICC can't touch it. Unable means a complete breakdown in the legal system. If the US is faced with that, it has bigger problems than the ICC having jurisdiction.
However, all you heard were complaints about how US servicemen would be subject to frivolous suits and the court may have a vendetta against the US, etc, etc. Any frivilous suit would be thrown out by the prosecutor or the Court itself. There is no way that it can be spun that the US conducts sham investigations (commies spinning conspiracy theories don't count) or that there is a complete breakdown in the legal system. But the Bush Administration is trying all that it can to break the ICC by waging full fledged attack against it.
Other threads have Americans expressing doubts on the impartiality of the Red Cross. The RED CROSS, for God's sake!
And of course, there is the old stereotype of American militia men fearing UN black helicopters coming and taking their freedoms away. Unfortunetly I think that's becoming less of a stereotype and more of reality.
What is it about Americans that has made them so damned paranoid? Is it the culture of fear which has grown up after 9/11? But part of this irrational hatred existed before then. I just can't understand it.
The ICC, for example, can only prosecute if the home country is unwilling or unable to investigate charges. Unwilling means a sham investigation in order to avoid ICC jurisdiction. If a country does any competent investigation (which the US has done for any complaint against its armed forces) the ICC can't touch it. Unable means a complete breakdown in the legal system. If the US is faced with that, it has bigger problems than the ICC having jurisdiction.
However, all you heard were complaints about how US servicemen would be subject to frivolous suits and the court may have a vendetta against the US, etc, etc. Any frivilous suit would be thrown out by the prosecutor or the Court itself. There is no way that it can be spun that the US conducts sham investigations (commies spinning conspiracy theories don't count) or that there is a complete breakdown in the legal system. But the Bush Administration is trying all that it can to break the ICC by waging full fledged attack against it.
Other threads have Americans expressing doubts on the impartiality of the Red Cross. The RED CROSS, for God's sake!
And of course, there is the old stereotype of American militia men fearing UN black helicopters coming and taking their freedoms away. Unfortunetly I think that's becoming less of a stereotype and more of reality.
What is it about Americans that has made them so damned paranoid? Is it the culture of fear which has grown up after 9/11? But part of this irrational hatred existed before then. I just can't understand it.
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