Despite having killed 300,000 of his countrymen and having caused long suffering to thousands of others, Cambodian leader Pol Pot had the privilege of dying peacefully in his jungle hut without ever having been truly brought to justice. All because there was no permanent international criminal court in place to confront his cruel campaign early in the game.
The good news is that, after years of preliminary work to establish such a court, a meeting attended by most of the nations of the world, as well as a coalition of more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations, is being held in Rome during late June and July to finalize the structure of a court that will stand ready to try individuals who commit genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
As a nation we have some choices: ignore the suffering caused by cruel perpetrators or act as the world’s policeman by intervening in situations such as Bosnia and Somalia . . . or help support the present efforts to create a court in which justice will be applied consistently and fairly. Perpetrators will be tried by this court only when no national court is available or willing to hear the case.
The journey toward a standing permanent court is complex, but the time to deal with these complexities is now, not after another Pol Pot comes along. Americans should enthusiastically support the historic steps being taken in Rome.
