Produce a 2-3 page memo on the topic outlined below and to prepare a 5 minute presentation.
Should be 12 point font, double-spaced, with 1 inch margin.
The creation of the International Criminal Court in the late 1990s represents a watershed moment in the development of international authority over war crimes and large-scale atrocities. Despite the enthusiasm with which the ICC was greeted by many states at its inception, the United States has taken a more ambivalent view. US attitudes toward the court have varied from reluctant and muted support during the Obama and Biden administrations to full throated opposition and hostility under the Bush and Trump administrations. What explains US hostility towards the ICC? What are the arguments for and against US membership in the ICC? Which of these arguments do you find most convincing and why?
Structure: In the first section, discuss the reasons and arguments that US officials and others have offered for why the US should continue to remain outside of the ICC. In the second section, make an argument for whether the US should join the ICC and why. NOT discuss the structure, jurisdiction or authority of the ICC in your memo.
Use following resources:
- Ruth Wedgewood. 1999. The International Criminal Court: An American View. European Journal of International Law. Vol. 10, pp. 93-107.
- Hafner, Gerhard, et al. 1999. A Response to the American View as Presented by Ruth Wedgewood. European Journal of International Law. Vol. 10, pp. 108-123
- The US-ICC Relationship.
- Human Rights Watch Q and A: The ICC and the United States