ICC Reading

I found myself being persuaded by all of the different positions taken on the ICC reading. I can understand why deGuzman feels that the I.C.C. deserves our full support due to the fact that they are at minimum, setting the principle that no one is immune to repercussions for committing genocide or crimes against humanity. In contrast, I can fully agree with all the flaws pointed out by the other positions taken on this matter in regards to their effectiveness, budget, and lack of true power. The position that I thought presented the most compelling argument was made by Anne Marie Goetz. She presented the idea that more funding of the I.C.C should go to helping the victims of genocide and war crimes, instead or arbitrary prosecutions. 

Goetz expresses that there is still a great need for the I.C.C, to ensure that leaders know that they will be held accountable for their actions. She points out that one major flaw within the I.C.C. is how neglected the budgeting is for the Trust Fund for Victims. The most compelling argument within this text I found was presented in the sentence “greater powers of investigation will not lift government obstruction.” The members of society that the I.C.C. are trying to help are being completely neglected due to the warped funding distribution. The I.C.C. focuses almost exclusively on prosecuting those who are committing war crimes and genocide rather than the individuals affected by such atrocities. The lack of effectiveness is due to how difficult it is to actually hold leaders accountable as seen in relation to Africa where “victims of gross human rights violations are more likely to see the alleged perpetrators of violence acquitted than convicted.” If the I.C.C. focused a greater amount of its funding on the victims of these crimes rather than spending exorbitant amounts of money prosecuting a leader who they may or may not convict, their effectiveness would be increased dramatically. With this change, not only would they still continue to preach the principles of human rights, but they also would be enforcing a change of government structure in the countries they are trying to help.


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