US President Attempts to Bully International Criminal Court into Submission

United States president Donald Trump is marketing his executive order to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as necessary in the defence of its ally, Israel. 

The move, made just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, is a response to the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants last year against Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly perpetrated against the Palestinian population of Gaza, as well at the court’s continuing investigations of those events.

Trump has accused the ICC of engaging in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting Americans and our close ally Israel” and of issuing “baseless arrest warrants”, despite overwhelming evidence Israel’s campaign of massacres and “plausible genocide” against the Palestinian people – which has killed tens of thousands of civilians, most of them women and children – indeed contravenes international criminal law.

The US president’s order proposes to create “tangible and significant consequences” for the ICC, including the blocking of funding and freezing of assets, as well as prohibiting ICC officials, employees and relatives from entering the United States.

Creating Divisions and Lack of Accountability

However, the move is already creating divisions and alienating fellow member states of the United Nations, who have pointed out that despite not being members of the ICC, the US and Israel remain bound by international laws including the Geneva Conventions which prohibit crimes against humanity, genocide (including arbitrary targeting of populations and large-scale forced displacement) and other war crimes.

Human rights advocates have expressed the opinion that the move will also stifle the court’s investigations into conflict zones in which the US and Israel and involved, potentially resulting in human rights abuses going unchecked and potentially increasing.

According to Charlie Hogle, staff attorney with American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project:

“Victims of human rights abuses around the world turn to the International Criminal Court when they have nowhere else to go, and President Trump’s executive order will make it harder for them to find justice”.

“The order also raises serious First Amendment concerns because it puts people in the United States at risk of harsh penalties for helping the court identify and investigate atrocities committed anywhere, by anyone.”

Trump’s First Attempt to Exert Power over an Independent Branch 

Trump’s move is a clear attempt to exert control over what is meant to be an independent investigatory body, one created with the express intent to investigate international crimes without political influence. 

The move is somewhat ironic as, until now, the US has barely recognised the ICC as having any authority – preferring to see it as irrelevant and barely worthy of recognition or discussion.

So, the fact Trump is now taking it upon himself to impose sanctions with the clear intent of bullying the organisation into compliance with his politically-motivated demands appears to amount to a recognition the ICC is indeed relevant and its decisions are important to UN member states.

ICC’s Response

The ICC has condemned Trump’s attempt to influence the independence of the court and called its 125 member states, civil society and all nations of the world to “stand for justice.” 

Despite the US having no legal authority over the ICC, the US Treasury and State Department are set to implement Trump’s orders to sanction individuals and organizations. However, this decision has not been well-received, with numerous human rights groups criticising the POTUS’s perplexing move. 

Trump ‘Taking over Greenland’ — Similarities to Hitler’s Policy of Lebensraum 

Trump claimed that he might consider using military power to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal. The United States will also look to harm European countries with extremely high tariffs on imported products, especially Denmark, if they don’t ‘transfer’ the ownership of Greenland to the US. 

If this sounds like history is repeating itself, it’s because it is. The concept of Lebensraum was a crucial part of the opinions and views of the Nazi party as they began their military acquisition of numerous countries, along with bolstering discriminatory and prejudicial views. The weight of this comparison to Hitler’s actions should not be underestimated, as it serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of Trump’s policies. 

Friedrich Ratzel coined the term ‘Lebensraum’ at the beginning of the 20th century, believing that a nation could be self-producing and self-sufficient in terms of resources, power, and land, thereby protecting itself from other countries and supposed threats. 

But, although this doesn’t sound initially problematic, Ratzel applied the concept of Darwinism to other countries in the world, alluding to the fact that more powerful companies would, and should, conquer other lesser-off countries to expand their borders and powers. Thus, Germany, and Hitler, adopted this mentality during the Nazi period to ‘Germanise’ countries in Europe and propel racist ideals. 

The German colonisation led to mass starvation, the invasion of the Soviet Union, and the blame for a lower economic state on the Jewish and Bolshevism populations, causing the rapid antisemitic viewpoints and extermination of millions of innocent individuals living in Europe. 

Although this may seem unfathomable in today’s world, the similarities between Trump and Hitler are glaring – and his drive to take over Greenland to make the US stronger and acquire more resources parallels Hitler’s policy. 

Trump ‘Taking over ICC’ — Similarities to Hitler’s Control of Courts in Germany 

Trump’s targeting of the International Criminal Court is directly parallel to Hitler’s attempt to control the German courts during World War II. 

The International Criminal Court is the highest criminal court at the centre of international law, used to prosecute individuals for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Recently, the ICC issued arrest warrants for the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu — a man who was welcomed at the White House just hours before Trump imposed sanctions on the court, accusing the ICC of targeting the US and Israel. 

Similar to Trump controlling the ICC and using his power for political gain, Hitler subsequently controlled the courts during the Third Reich. After a slew of ‘Not guilty’ verdicts by the Supreme Court, Hitler created the People’s Court in 1934 to try treason and political cases — solely created to produce more ‘Guilty’ verdicts for those who were convicted of war crimes unfairly by the Nazi regime. 

Thus, the People’s Court was the country-wide symbol of terror in Germany, condemning thousands to ‘treason’ and complicity in the plot to assassinate Hitler. Although Trump has yet to create his branch of the government or court system, attempting to control an independent body of which he has no power is strikingly similar to Hitler’s dictatorial tactics. 

Seizing Greenland: Possible Outcomes

There are a few possibilities regarding the outcome of Trump’s wild claims to take over Greenland to ‘strengthen’ the US in terms of land, resources, and power.

First, Trump could forget his claims and move on like nothing happened. If we take his past actions as truth, this could very well occur—Trump makes false, absurd, and inaccurate claims and promises and often does not follow through. However, if Trump backs off, he still raises the question of Greenland’s independence, which could influence other nations to try to take over this country.

Second, Greenland could vote for independence from Denmark and become its own nation. However, this is an unlikely option, as the citizens of Greenland would have to figure out their own economic and healthcare system independent from Denmark, which is favourable to all citizens. Even if Greenland is ‘free’ of Denmark, it is still tied to the US after an invasion during World War II. 

Third, Trump could increase the severity of his threats by increasing tariffs on products from Denmark and Greenland. If Trump Follows through with his 10% tariffs on all US imports, this could directly harm the European economy, specifically focusing on the Danish pharmaceutical market. 

Lastly, Trump could follow through with his word and invade Greenland. Although this seems drastic, the US taking control over Greenland wouldn’t be too far of a stretch, as they already have a military presence there. But if Trump follows through with this ‘invasion’, it could lead to a worldwide issue of peace, triggering NATO to take action.