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• Thurgood Marshall Law Library/University of Maryland School of Law

Summary

As the International Criminal Court (ICC) comes into existence on July 1, 2002, the United States may perceive itself under more intense pressure to formulate and implement a policy to address its relationship with the new court. While most U.S. allies support the ICC, the Bush Administration firmly opposes it and has renounced any U.S. obligations under the treaty. The Administration stated that the United States does not intend to take any action to undermine the ICC, but its veto of a United Nations resolution to extend the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia for reasons related to the ICC has sparked considerable international debate. Unless the Security Council and the U.S. delegation are able to reach a compromise, the U.N. mission in Bosnia will cease to exist, and other U.N. missions may meet a similar fate when their mandates come up for renewal. This report outlines the main objections the United States has raised with respect to the ICC and discusses the implications for the United States, as a nonratifying country, as the ICC comes into force, as well as the Administration's apparent strategy with regard to the ICC. The report concludes with a review and analysis of some legislation enacted and proposed to regulate U.S. relations with the ICC. This report is intended to serve as an update to the fifth and sixth parts of CRS Report RL31437, International Criminal Court: Overview and Selected Legal Issues.

Related Reports:
• RL31495

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