Sunday, October 20, 2013

The International Criminal Court(ICC).Is it a White man's Justice in Africa?

I have been an outspoken critic of the ICC for a few years now.I have been critical since the tribunals in Bosnia and the imprisonment of Melosovich.My biggest concern came after the launching of the Iraq War in early 2003.I watched as The Neo Cons and George Bush instigate a war in Iraq on flimsy evidence.Make no mistake there is no justice in being weak.The strong generally dictate the terms of justice.If the arch of humanity bends towards justice,then it must take manipulation and strength to bend it.On the allegation of a professional dissident,Aqmed Chalabi head of the INC or Iraqi National Congress,the United States tried to install a puppet government in Iraq even before the fall of Saddam Hussein.When it was clear that he had no capability of holding the country together,a sectarian war broke out threatening to destabilize the entire region.Now since there were no weapons of mass destruction ever found and the UN did not mandate an invasion of a sovereign nation,President George W Bush found himself and America in an endless war with no support in the world.Then came the idea of selling a transitional government,then eventually elections.Now remember none of these were even discussed until Chalabi's government collapsed.The next few years saw hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed and millions displaced.A catastrophic upheaval on such a huge scale rivaling WW2.The question after reading this should be"Where is the indictment from the ICC towards George W Bush?Was there a hearing?The answer is no.One of the reasons is the ICC is voluntary.It is voluntary for developed nations but involuntary to poor nations.Being a signatory to the ICC means good standing with donor nations. Most of the nations running the court are former colonial powers Europe still desires to control Africa.They control Africa through fear and propaganda.It is European Intelligence Agencies that arm dictators in the first place.Dictators are easy to control.They only want to stay in power.They do not want to challenge the status quo.This dirty little arrangement is the reason Patrice Lumumba was murdered in the Congo,Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown and why the Americo Liberian True Whig Party and Liberia's President William R Tolbert was overthrown and his entire cabinet executed.Any African leader who challenges the West is targeted good or bad.None of the nations on the Security Council in the UN are signatories to the ICC but they are calling the shots in who is to be prosecuted.Nigeria and Ghana two colonial countries support the ICC.It was Nigeria that handed over former Liberian President Charles Taylor at the request or demand of George Bush.Imagine Bush who orchestrated a mass genocide of Iraqis demands Charles Taylor be held liable for a war in Sierra Leone!A war that has been waging since the early 1960's.A war former Nigerian President Obasanjo took part in plundering.It is clear certain people are being singled out,while others escape justice. The International Criminal Court (commonly referred to as the ICC or ICCt)[2] is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression (although jurisdiction for the crime of aggression[3] will not be awakened until 2017 at the earliest).[4][5] The ICC was created by the Rome Statute which came into force on 1 July 2002.[6][7] The Court has established itself in The Hague, Netherlands, but its proceedings may take place anywhere.[8] It is intended to complement existing national judicial systems, and may only exercise its jurisdiction when national courts are unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute such crimes. Currently, 122 states[9] are states parties to the Statute of the Court, including all of South America, nearly all of Europe, most of Oceania and roughly half the countries in Africa.[10] A further 31 countries,[9] including Russia, have signed but not ratified the Rome Statute.[10] The law of treaties obliges these states to refrain from “acts which would defeat the object and purpose” of the treaty until they declare they do not intend to become a party to the treaty.[11] Three of these states—Israel, Sudan and the United States—have informed the UN Secretary General that they no longer intend to become states parties and, as such, have no legal obligations arising from their former representatives' signature of the Statute.[10][12] 41 United Nations member states[9] have neither signed nor ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute; some of them, including China and India, are critical of the Court.[13][14] On 21 January 2009, the Palestinian National Authority formally accepted the jurisdiction of the Court.[15] On 3 April 2012, the ICC Prosecutor declared himself unable to determine that Palestine is a "state" for the purposes of the Rome Statute and referred such decision to the United Nations.[16] On 29 November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of recognizing Palestine as a non-member observer state.[17] The ICC has yet to punish Israel.It has yet to punish former Apartheid leaders in South Africa.The idea of the ICC was suppose to be that certain countries are incapable of prosecuting people because of cost and function.But Uganda and Kenya has functioning judicial systems.Why do they insist those countries hand over Bashir and Kenyatta?Are Africans incapable of governing themselves?Why did the ICC ignore rebel activity in the Coate de Ivoire in 2006?Then when their chosen leader supposedly won the election a few years ago and the same Gabagbo refuse to step down,they indict him?Why are they not holding those rebels who caused the insurgency accountable?Could it be because of Gabagbo's policies towards his former master in France?Most of the arms flowing into Africa come from the West.Most of the illegal diamonds flow to the West.Most of the smuggled oil goes to the West.Will we ever see ICC prosecutions of Haliburton or Shell oil?Don't hold your breath.