Trump’s war on the ICC is a war on justice — Che Ran

Trump’s war on the ICC is a war on justice — Che Ran


Tuesday, 11 Feb 2025 8:49 AM MYT


FEBRUARY 11 — Donald Trump has never been a fan of rules — unless he’s the one making them. His latest attack on the International Criminal Court (ICC) isn’t about justice, sovereignty, or national security. It’s about power. It’s about shielding America and its allies from the same laws they demand the rest of the world follow. And it’s a dangerous, hypocritical move that puts the US in the company of war criminals, despots, and genocidal regimes.

This isn’t hyperbole. This is reality.

Jurisdiction isn’t a buffet — you don’t get to pick and choose

Trump says the ICC has “no jurisdiction” over the US or Israel because neither signed the Rome Statute. That’s like saying international waters don’t exist just because you refuse to bring a life jacket. It’s nonsense.

The ICC has authority over crimes committed on the soil of its member states or by nationals of those states. That’s why it was able to investigate US actions in Afghanistan. That’s why it could look into Israeli actions in Gaza, given Palestine’s ICC membership. This is how international law has worked for decades.

If a war crime happens in an ICC member state, the court has every right to investigate. Just because America doesn’t like being on the receiving end doesn’t mean the law ceases to exist.

America’s hypocrisy: Justice for thee, but not for me

Here’s the real kicker: The US has supported tribunals like this before. It backed the war crimes trials for Rwanda and Yugoslavia. It cheered when Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir was indicted for genocide. It called for accountability when Russia committed atrocities in Ukraine.

But when the ICC starts investigating potential US war crimes? Or Israeli war crimes? Suddenly, it’s a “rogue court” and a “threat to national security”.

If the ICC is legitimate when it prosecutes African warlords and Russian generals, it’s legitimate when it investigates Americans and Israelis. Otherwise, we’re just saying war crimes only matter when the bad guys don’t speak English.

Trump’s playbook: Act like a dictator, cry about democracy

When the ICC announced investigations into US and Israeli actions, Trump didn’t just complain — he declared war. He slapped sanctions on ICC officials, froze their assets, and barred them from entering the US. He treated international prosecutors the same way America treats drug lords and terrorists.

Who else does this? Putin. Xi Jinping. Assad.

That’s the company Trump keeps when he attacks global justice. He’s turning America into one of those countries — the kind that bullies, threatens, and suppresses anything that challenges its actions.

And the message is clear: We decide who gets justice. We decide who gets punished. And if you come for us, we’ll come for you.



Donald Trump has never been a fan of rules — unless he’s the one making them. — AFP pic


What about the victims?

Strip away the politics, and this is what the ICC really stands for: The victims. The civilians bombed in war zones. The children gunned down in the name of “security”. The families wiped out by drone strikes that were “mistakes”.

The ICC exists because history has shown that too often, the powerful get away with murder. When national governments refuse to hold their own accountable, the ICC steps in. That’s the whole point.

If the US. and Israel truly believe their soldiers did nothing wrong, why not cooperate? Why not prove it? Why slam the door shut on accountability?

Because deep down, Trump and his allies fear what an investigation might find.

The bottom line: This is bigger than Trump

Trump’s war on the ICC isn’t just about his own fragile ego. It’s about setting a precedent — one that says the world’s most powerful countries can commit crimes and face no consequences. That America gets to play judge, jury, and executioner but never defendant.

If that’s the world we want, then let’s be honest about it. Let’s stop pretending we care about international law. Let’s admit that war crimes only matter when our enemies commit them. Let’s say out loud that American exceptionalism means exempt from the rules.

But if we still believe in justice, real justice, then Trump’s attack on the ICC is an attack on all of us. Because if the world’s most powerful nation refuses accountability, what hope do the powerless have?