Saturday, December 05, 2009

Told Ya So

Confirming that the International Criminal Court was a bad idea is this Wall Street Journal piece:
The ICC's chief prosecutor . . . has no intention of waiting for Washington to submit to the court's authority. Luis Moreno Ocampo says he already has jurisdiction--at least with respect to Afghanistan.

Because Kabul in 2003 ratified the Rome Statute--the ICC's founding treaty--all soldiers on Afghan territory, even those from nontreaty countries, fall under the ICC's oversight, Mr. Ocampo told me. And the chief prosecutor says he is already conducting a "preliminary examination" into whether NATO troops, including American soldiers, fighting the Taliban may have to be put in the dock.

"We have to check if crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide have been committed in Afghanistan," Mr. Ocampo told me. "There are serious allegations against the Taliban and al Qaeda and serious allegations about warlords, even against some who are connected with members of the government." Taking up his inquiry of Allied soldiers, he added, "there are different reports about problems with bombings and there are also allegations about torture."
Another attempt by international law zealots to apply treaties beyond their scope--the Clinton Administration declined to join the ICC, so that body has no jurisdiction over American soldiers.

(via Doug Ross)

4 comments:

Assistant Village Idiot said...

It's nice to be able to say something nice about Bill Clinton for a change. Credit where credit is due.

@nooil4pacifists said...

Agreed.

O Bloody Hell said...

> It's nice to be able to say something nice about Bill Clinton for a change. Credit where credit is due.

He was better than Obama.

I gilded turd would be better than the Big O, but that's still a compliment.

suek said...

Heh. I'd like to _see_ them prosecute Al Qaeda and the Taliban. How will they put them in the dock? Suppose they find them guilty in absentia - what do they do then?

What a bunch of toothless old hounds. What was it Jackson said about the Supreme Court? "They've determined the law, now let them enforce it." or some such. Very applicable.