The International Criminal Court (ICC) has once again become a target of the US administration’s campaign against international law and institutions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared he wants to dismantle it.

This follows developments last year when Washington imposed sanctions on court personnel, including judges and prosecutors, prompted by plans to investigate alleged war crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan and Israel in Gaza.

Rubio has stressed the perceived threat to US sovereignty and independence posed by the court. And although there is nothing new in the current US policy, this marks a dramatic escalation.

The US was initially an advocate for the establishment of international courts; however, from the beginning it has opposed the actual court’s jurisdiction, fearing US soldiers and senior officials might be targets of politically motivated prosecutions. Today, it is even more concerned about its political leaders being held to account.

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The ICC investigates and can prosecute individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community where warranted: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

In the current dysfunctional international system, the ICC is one of........

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