Explainer-How US sanctions would undermine global war crimes court
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sanctions → undermine → court
THE HAGUE, Sept 21 - US President Donald Trump's administration is preparing sanctions against the International Criminal Court as part of a campaign to dismantle the institution created to prosecute people accused of the world's most heinous crimes.
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administration → prepare → crimes
WHY IS WASHINGTON PLANNING TO DO THIS?
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WASHINGTON → plan → THIS
The Trump administration has pushed back against the court in response to its arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a past investigation into the role of US forces in Afghanistan.
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administration → push → Afghanistan
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ICC, which was launched in 2002 and has 125 member states, poses a threat to US sovereignty and its allies.
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which → say → sovereignty
Washington has asked member states to withdraw support.
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Washington → ask → support
After initially targeting individual judges and prosecutors, Rubio announced a campaign in July to isolate the court, writing that the US government would use every tool at its disposal to "dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary."
WHAT ACTIVITIES WOULD US SANCTIONS IMPACT?
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SANCTIONS → target → ACTIVITIES
Sources have told Reuters the sanctions will soon be imposed against the entire organisation, which has roughly 900 employees from 100 countries.
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which → tell → countries
The court could lose access to much of the dollar-based financial system, while court staff could face US travel restrictions.
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staff → lose → restrictions
It is unclear when the additional sanctions will be announced.
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sanctions → announce → ?
Entity-wide sanctions imposed by the US Treasury could prohibit US citizens and companies from providing funds, goods, or services to the court without a license from the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
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sanctions → impose → Control
The impact could range from blocking personal credit cards and travel visas to forced cancellation of contracts with companies providing data storage and email or the hiring of outside investigators.
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impact → range → investigators
Beyond that direct impact, sanctions could have a chilling effect on non-US organisations and individuals that work with the court, as banks, companies and contractors seek to avoid risks.
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banks → have → risks
HOW WOULD THE COURT CONTINUE TO FUNCTION?
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COURT → continue → FUNCTION
Circumventing sanctions will not be easy.
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Circumventing → circumvent → sanctions
The United States has more clout in international finance than any other country because the dollar is the currency used for most global trade.
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dollar → have → trade
Washington can choke access to regular payments and banking by threatening to cut off any bank that deals with the court from the dollar.
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that → choke → dollar
Payments could still be made, outside this dollar system, but the threat to any institution that deals with a sanctioned person or entity curtails it radically.
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that → make → it
ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane urged the European Union in 2025 to help protect the court by invoking a so-called blocking statute — a law which lets the EU ban European companies from complying with US sanctions that Brussels deems unlawful.
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Brussels → urge → sanctions
But it is unclear whether there is enough support for the court in Brussels for it to step in.
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it → be → Brussels
The first Trump administration imposed sanctions against individual ICC staff members in 2020 in response to an investigation into alleged crimes by Americans in Afghanistan.
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administration → impose → Afghanistan
US presidents have used emergency powers most frequently against foreign governments deemed a threat to US security interests.
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presidents → use → interests
Sanctions have targeted rogue actors, alleged terrorists, narcotics traffickers and warlords.
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Sanctions → target → actors
Sanctioning an entire international institution such as the ICC, which is a court of last resort for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, would be an unprecedented step.
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which → sanction → humanity
The Aporia
