U.S. opposition to ICC a sham? (Insider Report).(George W. Bush crumbles under international pressure to support the International Criminal Court)(Brief Article)

On July 10th, the UN Security Council gave its member states the opportunity to criticize the U.S. stance on the International Criminal Court (ICC). The controversy over America's reluctance to embrace the flawed and dangerous global court intensified when the U.S. threatened to withdraw from peacekeeping missions, most notably in Bosnia, unless U.S. soldiers were granted immunity. Responding to conservative opposition to the court, the Bush administration has publicly opposed the ICC in recent weeks, giving the Security Council until July 15th to grant U.S. troops immunity from ICC prosecution, or else face a U.S. veto of the Bosnian mission. It remains to be seen, however, if the administration will wilt under growing international pressure.

Editor's note: On the day we went to press, we learned that the Bush administration has indeed wilted under international pressure. Following a daylong meeting of the Security Council on July 10th, in which the United States faced withering criticism from nearly 40 countries, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte offered a "compromise proposal" suggesting a yearlong ban on any ICC investigation of U.S. peacekeepers. Originally, the Bush administration had expressed strong opposition to the ICC, insisting ...