Now, they are articulating their perceived stake in how wars are conducted and how warriors are held accountable. Although it is too early to anticipate the outcomes in Rome, there are encouraging straws in the wind. For the moment, the United States seems to be on the wrong side of some key issues, seeking to maximize the court's dependence on the Security Council, where the U.S. enjoys veto power. There is still time for the Clinton Administration to take a position more consonant with American humanitarian and human rights traditions and for conferees to resolve the many fundamental points of disagreement. Unconscionable brutality in countless conflict zones lends urgency to the task.
Inhumanity is likely to continue unchecked as long as impunity from accountability prevails.
The author co-directs the Humanitarianism and War Project at Brown University's Watson Institute in Providence, Rhode Island.