Nice idea, now make it work

摘要

Expect righteous indignation, laced with racial animosity, at the week-long annual deliberations of the International Criminal Court (icc) that kick off in New York on December 8th. A growing number of African leaders say they have lost faith in the court because all those it is currently trying are African. Some blame a "cabal" of wicked Western powers. A few have even threatened to walk away. They are unlikely to go so far. But if they did, it would badly weaken the court's rai-son d'etre, which is to strip impunity from those who commit war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Irrespective of charges of anti-African bias, detractors say it has not repaid the effort of creating it 12 years ago, or the cost of running it. At next week's meeting its administrators will ask for a budget for 2015 of €135.4m ($167m), 11% higher than this year's figure. So far it has convicted just two villains, both Congolese warlords.