23.254.243.89. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Cite as, One of the most debated issues concerning the International Criminal Court (ICC) is that whether it constitutes a major threat to the international system that is based on the principle of national sovereignty. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. State sovereignty is the ability of the state to be independent and have autonomy and control over itself and its decisions. As such, International Human Rights obligations are regularly seen as “eroding state sovereignty” (Ayoob, 2001:93). This principle was intended to diffuse any (perceived) threat to or interference with domestic sovereignty arising from the establishment of this permanent international judicial body. sovereignty. What I discovered is that, first, the ICC does undermine STATE sovereignty, but not the concept of sovereignty itself. But what does the concept of sovereignty really mean in the 21st century? The research concludes that there is no doubt a relationship exists between state sovereignty and the ICC. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab. The US claim that the ICC’s investigation of Americans violates US sovereignty is a hollow one and fails to justify the EO’s drastic interference with the sovereign authority of States Party to the Rome Statute. ICC imposes certain restrictions and limits on state authority and competes with the state in the exercise of authority. It aims to sensitize the world against gross human rights violations through the threat of legal action. Nigeria is a sovereign state and will not surrender its sovereignty to any organization. Part of Springer Nature. Does the ICC undermine the principles of state sovereignty? Transnational non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and Médecins Sans Frontières challenge state activities and its legitimate role to uphold the 'rule of law' within its territory as part and parcel of its sovereignty; they criticize and often attempt to interfere in situations of torture, detainment without trial, nuclear testing, and refusal to grant access to those offering … the discourse. It casts off meanings, sometimes splits, and reunites as it evolves in response to changing global values. Appalled by the increasing brutality and emboldened by the collapse of ideological barriers, international law now intends to cross the rubicon and reach out for criminals hiding behind the veil of sovereignty. What the ICC does is provide a mechanism where states are actually encouraged to use their sovereignty in this way. Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine. Abstract. The rapid entry of the Rome Statute on July 1, 2002 heralds a new era in international politics. World affairs are conducted less and less in the chancellery, and more and more in the big international institutions like the WTO. The ICC does involve a certain sacrifice of sovereignty because it envisages asserting itself when a state refuses or fails to use its national criminal justice apparatus to deal with the perpetrator of crimes against humanity. Broomhall comments that certain acts 'undermine the international community's interest in peace and security' e.g. This analysis would not have been complete without SOFA’s study of its impact on the ICC’s jurisdiction and American sovereignty. As quoted above by the official ICC site, the jurisdiction of the ICC will be complementary to national courts, which means that it will only act when countries are unable or unwilling to investigate or prosecute. This service is more advanced with JavaScript available, A Brief History of International Criminal Law and International Criminal Court © 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The coexistence of the two has not been easy; more often than not the two principles have confronted rather than partnered. One of the most debated issues concerning the International Criminal Court (ICC) is that whether it constitutes a major threat to the international system that is based on the principle of national sovereignty. In an attempt to understand the relationship between sovereignty and the ICC, the article addresses the following questions. The word sovereign means autonomous, or independent. This paper argues that the ICC challenges the exclusivity of sovereign states. Not affiliated The International Criminal Court [9] was created to address the impunity afforded to these criminals and raises serious questions about state sovereignty. crimes against humanity/genocide. In particular, it analyzes the practice of sovereignty in the construction of the newly forming International Criminal Court (ICC). The United States’ view was grounded in concerns over the broad, unaccountable powers granted to the ICC and its Chief Prosecutor by the Rome Statute, powers that … Widespread allegations that the court is unfairly targeting African states and seeking to undermine the sovereignty of its state members has created a “legitimacy crisis” in the court, prompting the withdrawal of several African and Asian states from the Rome Statute. Throughout the years it has been argued that globalization has a significant effect on state sovereignty. Lotus, sovereignty, and the requirement of a permissive rule The Rome Statute does not govern the ICC’s relations with non-State Parties. It opens new avenues for the international community to monitor human rights violations within states and bring the delinquent individuals to trial. Therefore, as one observer puts it clearly, “perhaps the central issue facing the ICC is its effect on sovereignty.”, Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips. 244-245). The International Criminal Court’s efforts to investigate and prosecute Americans are inconsistent with fundamental principles of international law and the practice of international courts. Only when such a State is ‘unwilling or unable’ genuinely to do so will a matter potentially be admissible before the ICC. Relevant to this is also that whether the Court will be able to succeed to implement its mandate, given that states would strongly seek to retain their sovereign authority. In Chapter 5, Ba wades into this debate albeit cautiously. The proposed International Criminal Court poses serious threats to U.S. sovereignty and security. Will the ICC Undermine Sovereignty of Nations? This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. While opponents of the ICC insist that sovereignty, indispensable to state legitimacy, is necessarily inalienable without the consequent sacrifice of that legitimacy, 7 . This paper also demonstrated through the prism of Article 17 that the ICC was not a mechanism intended to undermine State Sovereignty but to act as a last resort to ensure Justice. pp 213-238 | People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. In short, no; the ICC is meant to be used when national systems do not, or are unable to function. We use cookies to improve your website experience. The exercise of legislative and adjudicative jurisdiction is an important part of state sovereignty. State sovereignty is a primary social arrangement of the modern era in which the notion of supreme authority is applicable to nation-states. Indeed the term has to be defined and some theoretical ideas have to be introduced if we are to study and clarify the impact these ideas have on political decision makers, on their vision of the State and of the European Union. Finally, even the European Commissions power was reduced, as its proposals can be rejected by the appeal of 1/3 of national governments. Get Sovereignty Forms and Instructions Manual (Version 1.25, 02/24/2017, 7.6 Mbytes, 1,230 pages, 5 chapters) Interestingly, defending sovereignty was the motivation behind the communications submitted by former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to the ICC Prosecutor. 3099067 36 This effect is not necessarily limited to states parties. Instead, customary international law governs them (see Villiger, paras. of the concept of state sovereignty over the centuries. To learn about our use of cookies and how you can manage your cookie settings, please see our Cookie Policy. [10] Chapter 1 of this dissertation will illustrate the prelude to the International Criminal Court through a short history of international criminal law. 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. ICC proponents counter that the modern global world is irreconcilably at odds with the classical conception of state sovereignty. Not logged in The author questions whether the ICC is incompatible with state sovereignty but does not address the foundational elements of this debate like the rationale behind the principle of complementarity. Registered in England & Wales No. Investing the ICC with jurisdiction does not simply reaffirm legal sovereignty, but also undermines externally-sponsored power-sharing agreements which de … Early 20th century perceptions of state-sovereignty, citizenship, nation, and inter-state relations will have to change and adapt to these new forces. Weiss (1998) suggests that there are certain factors such as investments in international economy, multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations … This paper argues that the ICC challenges the exclusivity of sovereign states. One of the main reasons for the court to come into existence after the end of the Cold War is that many crimes committed against humanity have been ignored by states either due to ‘military necessity’ or under the national sovereignty and territorial integrity clause. The hostility to the ICC underscores the tension between the Court’s mandate and the notion of state sovereignty. Therefore, the establishment of the International Criminal Court does not radically undermine the concept of state sovereignty; instead, it modifies sovereignty norms in a direction that promises to permit the continued utility of the concept for international law in the twenty-first century. That ongoing debate between scholars and social scientists is trying to determine whether or not state can still maintain its own sovereignty. In a small range of policies it ensures that the member state can oppose the European legislation, if it sees it as a threat to national sovereignty. Register to receive personalised research and resources by email, International criminal court and the question of sovereignty, /doi/pdf/10.1080/09700160308450071?needAccess=true. 8 This is a preview of subscription content, A Brief History of International Criminal Law and International Criminal Court, https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56736-9_14. In reaction to a tendency of some governments to treat sovereignty as a privilege that would allow rulers to commit the gravest atrocities without being accountable to any higher power, this line of thought emphasised the concept of “sovereignty as responsibility” – the responsibility of a state for the security and wellbeing of its citizens. 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