Category Archives: United States

To Prosecute or Not to Prosecute: Maduro’s Indictment, Head-of-State Immunity, and the United States’ Instrumentalisation of Non-Recognition

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Mark Kersten

Mayya Chaykina join JiC for this post on the issue of head of state immunity and the prosecution of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Mayya is a master’s student in law at Sciences Po Paris. Her work focuses on international criminal law, mass … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, International Law, United States, Venezuela | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Violating international law to get rid of dictators is alluring but wrong – and dangerous

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Mark Kersten

There is an alluring idea that anything – including illegal action – should be taken to protect people from dictators. It is that reasoning that some are tapping into to insist that American military strikes on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro … Continue reading →

Posted in International Law, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, United Nations, United States, Venezuela, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Inversion of Pariah Status:  How Washington is undermining the UN General Assembly as a sanctuary for peace to thwart the ICC

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Mark Kersten

Victor Peskin joins JiC for this guest post on the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. Victor is an Associate Professor in the School of Politics & Global Studies at Arizona State University and a Senior Research Fellow at the UC … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza, ICC Prosecutor, ICC Sanctions, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment

Canada helped build the ICC. Now its silence is helping destroy it.

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The response was swift, until it wasn’t. Reacting to U.S. sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) officials – including Canadian judge Kimberly Prost – Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae called the move “disgraceful”. He added that “attacks” on ICC staff “by … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Canada, Donald Trump, ICC Prosecutor, ICC Sanctions, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine and the ICC, United States | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Past Roams in the Present: Transitional Justice, Fascist Cultural Property, and Mussolini’s Chicago Footprint 

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Mark Kersten

Mark A. Drumbl is Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University, where he also directs the Transnational Law Institute. Many thanks to Ana Laura Coria for research assistance, and Inge Gruenwald, Barbora Holá, Mark Kersten, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Crimes, Fascism, Italy, Transitional Justice, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s all about control: U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court and navigating a path forward

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Mark Kersten

The Trump administration’s Executive Order issuing sanctions against staff of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have been called many things: vindictive, disgraceful, as well as an act “that puts the United States on the side of war criminals at the expense of victims of grave crimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Gaza, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, United States | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Here’s what needs to happen in the wake of Trump’s sanctions against the International Criminal Court

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Mark Kersten

It wasn’t a surprise, but nevertheless, the Executive Order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) are a deeply troubling development. As Amnesty International’s Agnes Callemard put it, the order “is vindictive. It is aggressive. It is a brutal step that seeks … Continue reading →

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, ICC Registry, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, United States | Leave a comment

Trump’s Gaza “Plan” would mean committing every core international crime

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Mark Kersten

It is hard to keep track of the number of international crimes being proposed in Washington as a response to the destruction of Gaza. There are solid arguments to be made that President Donald Trump’s “plan” for the United States to “own” … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime of Aggression, Crimes against humanity, Gaza, Genocide, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel, Palestine, United States, War crimes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Time is Nigh – It’s up to states to save the International Criminal Court

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Mark Kersten

If you listen carefully, you might be able to hear the applause of wanted war criminals, despots, and dictators around the world. The passing of a bill imposing sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the United States’ House of Representatives … Continue reading →

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, ICC Sanctions, International Criminal Court (ICC), Sanctions, United States | 2 Comments

The International Criminal Court is facing an existential challenge from the United States. How does it survive it?

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Mark Kersten

The world’s only permanent international tribunal mandated to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide is facing its greatest challenge to date. With the incoming Trump administration and sanctions looming over the Court and its staff, a simple question … Continue reading →

Posted in ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Criminal Justice, Israel, Palestine, Palestine and the ICC, United States | Tagged | 1 Comment