About that ICC

Although this is pretty far from my usual focus, I’ve been interested to see the August D.C. doldrums filled in part with an interesting emerging discussion of what happens next with the U.S. and the International Criminal Court (ICC). Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her “great regret” in Kenya last week that the United States hadn’t yet ratified the treaty. But as former State Department Legal Adviser John Bellinger argued in a Washington Post op-ed this week in response, it remains unclear how the Obama Administration will be able to overcome some of the remaining stumbling blocks in securing U.S. ratification (protection of U.S. troops from political prosecutions still chief among them, best I can tell). Given the number of State Department appointees still awaiting confirmation, and the small number of other things the Administration already has on its plate, I’m guessing this debate doesn’t get fully engaged at State until a few more months down the road. Nonetheless, for those who follow this stuff, Bellinger’s piece is worth a read. And if OJ readers have any insights to share about where the ICC sits on the U.S. queue of items on the international law punch list (other than – I’m thinking – behind the Comprehensive nuclear Test Ban Treaty), I’m all ears.