What that factoid illustrates is that a significant percentage of the Americans who disapprove of the President's performance are mainly unhappy that Iraq hasn't yet been pacified the same way Japan was made to surrender in World War II.
I keep trying to tell my European friends that we're "not your father's America" anymore by pointing out these little factoids, but it doesn't seem to be convincing them to stop doing business with us until we reform ourselves. I mean, for crying out loud, would someone please explain to me why senior U.S. administration officials are still permitted to roam around the EU zone freely without fear of being arrested and charged with crimes against humanity in the ICJ?
Wait, I know this! Is it because the US doesn't recognise the ICJ? Or did they get their "we'll recognise it if you give our troops immunity from being prosecuted there" bit? I lost interest in that story way back.
I probably pushed a button for you, but really, the factoid question was more rhetorical than anything else.
Alas, I was thinking about the International Criminal Court (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court) (ICC) not the ICJ. I think you gathered correctly which body I was talking about. Yes, the U.S. refused (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_and_the_International_Criminal_Court) to sign the treaty. The EU nations all signed it. The U.S. has been coercing nations to enter bilateral "Article 98" agreements with individual signatories to the ICC to keep Americans from being hauled into the ICC. None of the EU nations have taken the bait. EU ministers have specifically recommended against member nations signing Article 98 agreements.
At some point, Europeans need to decide whether the American justice system is capable anymore of prosecuting its own war criminals, and if not: whether they want to put their money where their mouth is and invoke the ICC as the international criminal court of last resort.
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I keep trying to tell my European friends that we're "not your father's America" anymore by pointing out these little factoids, but it doesn't seem to be convincing them to stop doing business with us until we reform ourselves. I mean, for crying out loud, would someone please explain to me why senior U.S. administration officials are still permitted to roam around the EU zone freely without fear of being arrested and charged with crimes against humanity in the ICJ?
no subject
I probably pushed a button for you, but really, the factoid question was more rhetorical than anything else.
no subject
At some point, Europeans need to decide whether the American justice system is capable anymore of prosecuting its own war criminals, and if not: whether they want to put their money where their mouth is and invoke the ICC as the international criminal court of last resort.