Leiden University Student Repository

Jong, Marrit de (2018)

The United States and its Role in International Prosecution of Individuals Worldwide: A Case Study of the ICC Legitimacy

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

This thesis examines how US foreign policy behavior affects legitimacy of the ICC since the events of September 9/11, 2001 on American soil. Since the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2002, a hot topic under debate concerns its usefulness for international individual prosecution. The jurisdiction of the ICC consists of specific offence crimes namely, the prosecution of individuals committing genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression. Supporters in favor of the debate argue that the ICC serves as a useful tool and thus is accountable for creating coherence in terms of justice, peace and stability. In contrast, challengers do not recognize the ICC as a useful institute to achieve more order and to realize effective prosecution of individuals worldwide. As one of the challengers, the United States decided not to ratify the established ICC in its current structure. The US accuses the ICC of being a bearer to disorder in...Show moreThis thesis examines how US foreign policy behavior affects legitimacy of the ICC since the events of September 9/11, 2001 on American soil. Since the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2002, a hot topic under debate concerns its usefulness for international individual prosecution. The jurisdiction of the ICC consists of specific offence crimes namely, the prosecution of individuals committing genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression. Supporters in favor of the debate argue that the ICC serves as a useful tool and thus is accountable for creating coherence in terms of justice, peace and stability. In contrast, challengers do not recognize the ICC as a useful institute to achieve more order and to realize effective prosecution of individuals worldwide. As one of the challengers, the United States decided not to ratify the established ICC in its current structure. The US accuses the ICC of being a bearer to disorder in international prosecution of individuals. Moreover, the legitimacy of the ICC remains questioned and therefore, its sustainability. For a significant part, the sustainability of the ICC seems dependent on consent of its support and its legitimacy.Show less

United States

Legitimacy

ICC

International Criminal Justice

International Law

Political Science

Author

Jong, Marrit de

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

North America

Supervisors

Foulon, Michiel

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en