And End to Bilateral Immunity Agreements

Good news for fans of the ICC as the Nethercutt Amendment is no longer with us. Excerpt:

In 2004 George Nethercutt (left), a Republican member of congress from Washington State, inserted a provision into the State Department/Foreign Operations appropriations bill stating that countries that cooperate with the International Criminal Court but do not sign so-called bi-lateral immunity agreements with the United States would not be eligible for U.S. foreign assistance funds. So, for example, if an ICC member like Peru declined to enter into one of these bi-lateral immunity agreements with the United States, then Peru would lose money earmarked for, say, efforts to reduce coca production and fight drug trafficking.

And speaking of Congressional obstacles to effective action, check out our report that talks about this issue broadly - A Steep Hill.