Universal participation in the ICC is desirable without doubts, not only for its legitimacy as “International” Criminal Court, but also for functioning properly under the cooperation of the global community. Many benefits, including varied methods of political pressures for arrests, wider geographical coverage, and possibly better funding, will come along with the universal participation. To achieve this goal, the foremost step to achieve should be encouragement of super powers to join, including the U.S., Russia, and China, in two of which the Statue is not in force. All of the three states are difficult to persuade, and each state has its own reasons not to back up ICC. The institution’s job is to pursue them with a variety of diplomatic means; in this scenario, the participations of the third party human rights groups are essential. They should never stop letting the public of the three states be aware of heinous crimes occurring in the global society and advertise what can be done to stop them. Recently, especially in the U.S., starting an all-out war is extremely unpopular in the public. Usually diplomatic means are discussed instead; however, the discourse also should include the employment of the concrete justice system that can be applied in any region, as a preventive legal institution for future hostility. This will turn the public’s attention to ICC and what it has done for the last decade, consequently supporting ratifications of the Statue.
Dr. Helen Stacy
Professor of Law
Comment on the Universality Lecture Question: “Is universal state participation in the ICC system desirable and, if so, how could that be achieved?”
Universal participation in the ICC is desirable without doubts, not only for its legitimacy as “International” Criminal Court, but also for functioning properly under the cooperation of the global community. Many benefits, including varied methods of political pressures for arrests, wider geographical coverage, and possibly better funding, will come along with the universal participation. To achieve this goal, the foremost step to achieve should be encouragement of super powers to join, including the U.S., Russia, and China, in two of which the Statue is not in force. All of the three states are difficult to persuade, and each state has its own reasons not to back up ICC. The institution’s job is to pursue them with a variety of diplomatic means; in this scenario, the participations of the third party human rights groups are essential. They should never stop letting the public of the three states be aware of heinous crimes occurring in the global society and advertise what can be done to stop them. Recently, especially in the U.S., starting an all-out war is extremely unpopular in the public. Usually diplomatic means are discussed instead; however, the discourse also should include the employment of the concrete justice system that can be applied in any region, as a preventive legal institution for future hostility. This will turn the public’s attention to ICC and what it has done for the last decade, consequently supporting ratifications of the Statue.