The U.S. Relationship with the I.C.C.

In December 2000, President Clinton signed the Rome Statute treaty and expressed the importance of continued engagement with the ICC. He believed that cooperation with the Court was essential. President Bush adopted astringent policy of isolation and opposition against the Court. In 2002, President Bush authorized then-Under Secretary of State John Bolton to “unsign” the treaty by informing the United Nations that the U.S. did not intend to ratify the Rome Statute, relieving the U.S. of its obligations not to undermine the treaty.

In her first address to the United Nations Security Council, Ambassador Susan E. Rice underscores the importance of a vibrant relationship between the U.S. and the ICC, signaling a shift in U.S. policy:

President Obama is committed to building strong international partnerships to tackle global challenges…The  International Criminal Court, which has started its first trial this week, looks to become an important and credible instrument for trying to hold accountable the senior leadership responsible for atrocities committed in the Congo, Uganda, and Darfur.

And on November 19, 2009, the United States sent a delegation to the 8th meeting of the International Criminal Court's Assembly of States Parties. This marked the first time that the U.S. had attended a meeting of the ICC since 2001. To read the statement of the U.S. delegation CLICK HERE. 

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