The United States foreign policy in the post-cold war period: the opposition to International Criminal Court

Abstract

This article analyses the policy of the United States of America of opposition to the International Criminal Court, in particular during the administration of George W. Bush. The creation of the International Criminal Court has been cited by scholars and activists as an achievement in combating impunity of the main perpetrators of crimes against human rights. The Organization was negotiated during the Clinton government and its treaty entered into force in 2002. The United States during Bush government conducted a calculated campaign to undermine the Court. Thus, the article analyzes the U.S. opposition to the International Criminal Court entered into a wider debate that takes into account different views regarding the new role of the United States in the international system reconfiguration in the post-cold war period. Since then, this article demonstrates that to understand the possibilities of strengthening or breakdown of global governance structures as the International Criminal Court is necessary to consider the variation of North American foreign policy in key fields such as security and human rights.