I think it is important to start by remembering that the ICC is a criminal court; as such, its objectives and responsibilities have less to do with peace, and more to do with justice for crimes against humanity and limiting impunity for war criminals. With its record of 1 conviction and 1 acquittal in 10 years, and its known difficulties in securing the arrest of its indictees, it is hard to argue that the court has a strong deterrence component; and it seems deterrence would be the outcome through which the advance of peace could best be achieved.
Mr. Pace’s argument that the ICC needs more money in order to better promote peace is based on the assumption that peace promotion is a fundamental objective of the court. While I do believe that a larger budget may enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the ICC, this would result in increased justice but fail to effectively promote peace.
William R. Pace
Convenor; Coalition for the ICC (CICC)
Comment on the Peace Lecture Question: “To what extent can the ICC advance peace around the world?”
I think it is important to start by remembering that the ICC is a criminal court; as such, its objectives and responsibilities have less to do with peace, and more to do with justice for crimes against humanity and limiting impunity for war criminals. With its record of 1 conviction and 1 acquittal in 10 years, and its known difficulties in securing the arrest of its indictees, it is hard to argue that the court has a strong deterrence component; and it seems deterrence would be the outcome through which the advance of peace could best be achieved.
Mr. Pace’s argument that the ICC needs more money in order to better promote peace is based on the assumption that peace promotion is a fundamental objective of the court. While I do believe that a larger budget may enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the ICC, this would result in increased justice but fail to effectively promote peace.