Self Interest in International Courts and Tribunals
International justice and law is a tool used by powerful states directed against smaller states. I would go even further and argue that international bodies, when controlled by powerful states, is a tool meant to intervene specifically in conflicts where those same powerful states could benefit. International tribunals, specifically the ICC, have motives that make the pursuit of justice desirable. Through the lens of a realism, I see the ICC and other international tribunals as vehicles of the hegemon to pursue its own interest and maintain its power. Very often, the pursuit of international justice is not a matter of feasibility but of the international court’s desire to pursue justice and …show more content…
By referring itself to the ICC, Uganda was making a calculated risk in which it made itself subject to investigation by the ICC. The ICC, however, only investigated the LRA and therefore failed to be an impartial and unbiased party. There is overwhelming evidence that the Ugandan government, although to a lesser degree, was guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC did not take initiative in investigating war crimes that might have been committed by both parties because they had little to nothing to gain in supporting either side in Uganda’s civil war. As a result, they failed to offer sufficient cooperation and support in order to obtain justice for those who were victimized by both parties. For example, the Ugandan government displaced thousands of Acholi people to internment camps, which is a war crime. Within these camps, there is very little protection and aid offered to the civilians who occupy them, which leaves them vulnerable to rebel attacks. When the ICC became involved in Uganda in 2005, there were nearly one million Acholi people in an internment camp with less than fifty military personnel monitoring the area (Branch 181). The ICC did not contribute any form of aid to these people. The court proceedings that followed were just as disappointing. The case brought against all five men who were commanding officers in the LRA fell apart after the murder of Raska Lukwiya and charges against him were dropped. Today, the whereabouts of Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen, and Vincent Otti are unknown and they remain fugitives. There was no trial as a result and peace and justice failed to be restored in Uganda. The ICC’s attempts at cooperation, as compared to that of Libya, were quite poor. The failure to cooperate is linked back to the fact that major powers in the ICC, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and
International justice and law is a tool used by powerful states directed against smaller states. I would go even further and argue that international bodies, when controlled by powerful states, is a tool meant to intervene specifically in conflicts where those same powerful states could benefit. International tribunals, specifically the ICC, have motives that make the pursuit of justice desirable. Through the lens of a realism, I see the ICC and other international tribunals as vehicles of the hegemon to pursue its own interest and maintain its power. Very often, the pursuit of international justice is not a matter of feasibility but of the international court’s desire to pursue justice and …show more content…
By referring itself to the ICC, Uganda was making a calculated risk in which it made itself subject to investigation by the ICC. The ICC, however, only investigated the LRA and therefore failed to be an impartial and unbiased party. There is overwhelming evidence that the Ugandan government, although to a lesser degree, was guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC did not take initiative in investigating war crimes that might have been committed by both parties because they had little to nothing to gain in supporting either side in Uganda’s civil war. As a result, they failed to offer sufficient cooperation and support in order to obtain justice for those who were victimized by both parties. For example, the Ugandan government displaced thousands of Acholi people to internment camps, which is a war crime. Within these camps, there is very little protection and aid offered to the civilians who occupy them, which leaves them vulnerable to rebel attacks. When the ICC became involved in Uganda in 2005, there were nearly one million Acholi people in an internment camp with less than fifty military personnel monitoring the area (Branch 181). The ICC did not contribute any form of aid to these people. The court proceedings that followed were just as disappointing. The case brought against all five men who were commanding officers in the LRA fell apart after the murder of Raska Lukwiya and charges against him were dropped. Today, the whereabouts of Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen, and Vincent Otti are unknown and they remain fugitives. There was no trial as a result and peace and justice failed to be restored in Uganda. The ICC’s attempts at cooperation, as compared to that of Libya, were quite poor. The failure to cooperate is linked back to the fact that major powers in the ICC, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and