The United States government has done what it can to sabotage the International Criminal Court, created by the United Nations to try crimes by individuals against humanity. President Clinton signed the treaty creating the ICC in the closing days of his administration but, immediately after taking office, the Bush administration “unsigned” the treaty – the first action of this kind ever taken by an American administration.

The government then set about forcing other governments who had signed the treaty to agree to exemptions for U.S. service personnel saying, in other words, that our people are immune from prosecution for crimes against humanity. They argued that they wished to protect service members from frivolous lawsuits, a protection made totally redundant by the ICC statutes. When governments showed some reluctance to accede to the U.S. request, the Bush administration threatened to reduce or eliminate American military largess, and later, to curtail economic assistance. They seemed to be saying that either you immunize Americans from allegations of crimes against humanity or we will punish you.

Now we see this ugly blackmail technique reappearing in the case of the U.S. appropriation for the United Nations Fund for Population Activities. For three years running, the U.S. Congress has appropriated $34 million as the American contribution to the UNFPA, but under pressures from right-wing right-to-lifers, the Bush administration has refused to hand over the money. They argue that the UNFPA promotes coercion of abortions in China and elsewhere, ignoring the refutation of this charge by Bush’s own team of investigators.

The Bush refusal to hand over appropriated funds has raised a hue and cry around the world. The Bush administration responded with threats to other international organizations, including UNICEF and the World Health Organization, of financial sanctions if they continue to cooperate with UNFPA.

The statesman behind the U.S. actions in these cases is John R. Bolton, undersecretary of state, the same diplomat who, as assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, did his best to limit U.N. participation in multilateral programs.

It is indeed time for a change in Washington.

Bruce Stedman, U.N. assistant secretary general (retired), lives on Westport Island.

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