Billera ICC Blog

Simone Billera

March 10th, 2022

POLS170, ICC Blog Post


I would like to preface this blog post by stating that I do not fully agree with any of the arguments made in regards to the International Criminal Court; however, one post stood out to me immensely. Daniel Abebe undoubtedly wrote the most persuasive opinion piece. His opening sentence is straightforward: “A brief review of the I.C.C.’s operation suggests that it is failing.” After effectively stating his overarching argument quite simply, he delves into the support for such a claim, displaying factual and intriguing numeral evidence. Abebe also draws upon clever comparisons to strengthen his claims, the last line of the first paragraph being: “Food and health care lead to good outcomes, not expensive convictions.” Abebe’s introductory statements are not flower and open-ended but instead intriguing, evidence-based claims. By the end of the first paragraph, I was hooked. 

As Abebe delves deeper into his arguments, he makes some very valid points. He includes a counterargument and then proceeds to rebut such claims, which I found very effective. He also discusses the fact that the ICC targets African countries because its violators are from poorer areas, therefore, making it less costly to pursue such cases. This leads him to the point that the ICC, as a result, “Lacks the capacity to pursue violators from politically powerful member countries and force them to cooperate.” Although written almost a decade ago, this statement is very relevant to ongoing current events, as the ICC has opened a war crimes investigation in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In this case, Russia’s leaders are from a “politically powerful” member country. As a result, Abebe’s claims force the reader to contemplate and question their potential cooperation with the ICC and its agenda, a daunting but very relevant query to consider. 

Abebe makes a multitude of other sound statements within his few short paragraphs, ending his writing with a rather controversial statement. He says that more money and power would not aid the ICC in its effectiveness; moreover, investing limited resources elsewhere would be more beneficial, a cleverly thought-provoking statement on which to end. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Abebe’s opinion piece. My personal opinions would most likely be considered a combination of statements within all six articles; however, Abebe’s work was undoubtedly of the finest quality, and furthermore, the most persuasive.

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