A reason for pride

TUESDAY'S formal inauguration of the International Criminal Court in the Hague represented another historic step forward in establishing justice and the rule of law on our troubled planet and, for us in Trinidad and Tobago, it was a particularly significant occasion having regard to the role we — specifically former Prime Minister and President Arthur NR Robinson — played in establishing the Court and the fact that the first ICC judge to be sworn in was our own Karl Hudson-Phillips, QC. We have every reason to be proud not only because we were instrumental in actually creating the permanent court but also of the fact that we will proceed to play a vital part in its operations since one of our legal luminaries will be sitting on it.

That our little country could produce leaders and professionals whose vision and expertise transcend the parochial and who can help create and contribute meaningfully to institutions which advance the cause of humanity is something that should inspire us and strengthen our belief in ourselves. It should also serve to establish in the eyes of the world the kind of people we are, committed to the principles of justice and the rule of law not only for ourselves but as essential practice for the rest of mankind.

The historical record of Tuesday's inauguration will contain the fact that President Robinson received the enthusiastic encomium of Dr Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, for his success in getting the United Nations to place the proposal for an ICC on the agenda of the General Assembly. While there had been adhoc courts before, such as the one which tried Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg after World War II, Robinson's motion in 1989 called upon the UN to establish a permanent ICC to deal with genocide and transnational crimes against humanity. The atrocities then taking place in war-torn Yugoslavia highlighted the need for such a tribunal.

At a reception following the inauguration, President Robinson and his son David also met Queen Beatrix and most of the new judges of the Court including Hudson-Phillips who was his deputy when he was political leader of the NAR and Prime Minister during 1986 and 1991. It is unfortunate, in our view, that the United States is not among the 89 countries supporting the Court which comprises eminent jurists from different parts of the world and is clearly intended to deal with serious crimes against humanity. As the world's only remaining "superpower" it seems that the US has grown too big for its boots, showing scant regard for the demands and restraint of international law. This big-bully attitude is now scandalously illustrated in the decision taken by President Bush to invade Iraq even without the sanction of the UN Security Council.

Indeed, it is almost laughable that, faced with growing anti-war protest across the world, Bush and his "side-kick" Blair are now desperately seeking to legitimise their war plans by lobbying support among UN members. It now seems important for Bush to hold his hand until he gets the required support for a new resolution so he seeks the backing of other countries. When it suits the purpose of the US, they are for internationalism. When the spirit of internationalism creates a vital institution such as the ICC, the US want no part of it. In the light of Secretary General Kofi Annan's observations at Tuesday's ICC inauguration, the US attitude also seems quite ironical: The Court, he said, may also have a role in the "delicate process of dismantling tyrannies and replacing them with more democratic regimes committed to uphold human rights." Is this not what Bush is seeking in his war against Saddam Hussein?