International Criminal Court

After twelve years of its creation, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has brought 23 cases in eight countries, all of which have been in Africa. Only two have resulted in convictions, relatively obscure Congolese rebel leaders. Though there are over 139 countries that have signed the treaty, the United States, Russia, China and every Arab Nation have decided not to join. Some of the most horrific crimes against humanity have happened outside of the jurisdiction of the ICC. The idea of an international tribunal as a court of last resort for cases involving war crimes and horrific human rights abuses is appealing, and the tribunals were set up to punish atrocities in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Cambodia have worked to some effect.
Moreover, the ICC is not designed to be preventive, for the victims of these terrible crimes but it is crucial that these offenders are apprehended, tried and punished. Retribution and protection of society are objectives not only for the domestic criminal justice system but also for the new international version. The ICC is essential to international law and enforcing it. It is tough to critique the ICC because it has been in existence for only 12 years. Their early actions will not only set the stage for conducting future business but also build and ensure legitimacy. To succeed in its mission, the ICC and the Office of the Prosecutor must be seen as a valid and valuable to the international criminal justice. The ICC is building a future reputation on a solid
The ICC today has only convicted one person while indicted many others. All of the cases brought to the ICC have been of African countries and many believe that the ICC was created to help Western philosophies. With limited jurisdiction the ICC has to look at the most horrific crimes being committed. The cases that are being prosecuted also involve a range of individuals that in some way or another have provoked the hate of larger Western states. Some say the ICC only punishing leaders from small, weak states while ignoring crimes committed by richer and more powerful states. The ICC has been often criticized by many people on whether it is effective or not and if you look as the cases you could be the judge of whether it is or not. It remains to be seen if the ICC can be more successful in helping to prosecute offenses after wars end and political transitions are