Get ready for this—in spite of the fact that the U. S. is not a signatory, the International Criminal Court is claiming jurisdiction over American soldiers in Afghanistan and intends to “end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community”, according to the ICC web site. Of course, don’t hold your breath waiting for prosecutions of atrocities in places like Darfur or, perish the thought, acts of terror perpetrated by Islamic jihadists around the world. But strikes by American unmanned drones against terrorist leaders? You can probably count on it; after all, isn’t there moral equivalence with Darfur? And waterboarding? No comment so far. Suffice to say that this initiative has already had significant impact on our rules of military engagement, as American officers and troops have already been fully briefed and cautioned. Secretary of State Clinton recently expressed regret that the U. S. is not a signatory to the ICC, and we have George W. Bush to thank for “unsigning” it, fearing just the scenario that is now in play.
