The United States are happy to report that they’re supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigations of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Both festering sides of the US political fence seem to be in agreement. Go get them damned Ruskies, they’re cheering.
It’s good to know that the dying old hegemon of western civilisation has the ICC’s back, isn’t it? Y’know, so long as the ICC don’t take a look at US war crimes. Because that would just be unconscionable.
See, since the ICC’s inception in 1998, while the US was a leading advocate for an international court, they never wanted to subject themselves to it. Almost like they wanted other people to be punished for war crimes, but never be forced to follow the same rules themselves. And boy howdy, how lucky they were that they never agreed to recognize the ICC’s authority! Considering all the war crimes that the US have been guilty of since then. Imagine having to actually be held accountable for your actions. How’s a global superpower supposed to maintain the status quo if it was ever judged, huh?
In 2020, Trump even signed an executive order to sanction the ICC, and two of it’s prosecutors in particular, for their investigations of war crimes in Afghanistan and Palestine. I mean, Biden later reversed the sanctions, true. Still though; it gives a good indication as to how the US feels about the prosecution of war crimes: So long as no one looks at them, they’re all for it.
War crimes are bad. Yeah? While it might look a bit silly to dictate just how humanely people are allowed and not allowed to murder each other for political gains and hegemonic designs, we don’t really want to roll that back. Whether or not combatants actually follow the rules of war, it is nice that they exist at all. Russia’s warmongerers should be investigated. Likely prosecuted, tried, and sentenced too (pending results). Same probably goes for Ukraine military officials too. War is hell, as they say, and one atrocity tends to breed another.
But it leaves an ill taste in one’s mouth when the biggest criminal in the world pats Justice on her back to goad her on with her crusade against the kingpin’s rivals. It’s quite frankly sickening. And though it’s no one’s place to kink-shame, I really wish Justice be off her leash…
/Sebastian Lindberg 1/8-2023
WastedWords 