Donald Trump’s vicious assault on the international criminal court is no surprise. His last administration slapped sanctions on it over its investigations into potential war crimes in Afghanistan, including by the US, and into the actions of Israeli forces. But his new executive order goes even further, attacking the fundamentals of the court and endangering its functioning.
The US never joined the ICC, fearing scrutiny of its own actions and those of its allies. Joe Biden damaged both the court and US claims of commitment to the “rules-based international order” when he justified the arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin while attacking as “outrageous” the one issued for Benjamin Netanyahu.
