Internationales Recht: Washington will den Internationalen Strafgerichtshof abschaffen – und bittet die Nato um Hilfe

The United States is exerting pressure on members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to dissolve the organization, according to a report by Politico. US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker requested support from the 32 NATO ambassadors during a meeting in Brussels in mid-July. He urged them to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the founding document of the ICC.

The ICC, like other multinational organizations, has long faced pressure from the Trump administration. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the court an "illegitimate international organization" and accused it of being corrupt. The US has imposed sanctions on high-ranking ICC representatives in recent years, including entry bans and asset freezes.

The US delegation reportedly sent a letter to NATO delegations with similar content, according to Politico. The US itself has never ratified the Rome Statute, but American citizens can still be prosecuted by the ICC, such as when committing war crimes on the territory of a member state. US officials say they are urging countries that work with American law enforcement and rely on US military protection to reject the ICC's authority to prosecute American officials and soldiers.

Diplomatic appeals from the US Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of State, Ambassador, and other high-ranking officials have been made to foreign states. These appeals highlight the abuses of the ICC and the risks for Americans and other nations, urging their withdrawal from the court. The active stance of the US against the ICC has left Western allies in shock, as discussed at a NATO meeting.

The US aims to reduce its own responsibility within the military alliance and encourage Canada and European partner states to invest more in NATO, known as "NATO 3.0." The US has also been trying to ideologically examine NATO partners, particularly following European reluctance to join Trump's war against Iran. The ICC last investigated American citizens in 2020 for war crimes in Afghanistan, a case that was ultimately deprioritized.

Recently, there have been calls from Latin America for an investigation into US attacks on ships in the Caribbean suspected of carrying drugs. Several countries in Africa, Latin America, and Europe, as well as Canada, have withdrawn from the ICC. However, most European, South American, and African countries, along with Canada, continue to ratify the Rome Statute.

The US, China, Russia, Iran, and Israel are among the states that reject the Rome Statute. In 2024, the institution issued a warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Israel's actions in Gaza, citing genocide, crimes against humanity, and other inhumane acts. The previous ICC chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was removed from office this summer amid sexual misconduct allegations.