Trump's decree of sanctions sends a shockwave into the International Criminal Court, as the West is now witnessing its own "self-deconstruction." On August 18, the Trump administration announced sanctions against Fatou Bensouda, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Abdoulaye Seydou, a Senegalese lawyer.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio accused both individuals of "corruption" and "abuse of power" for their involvement in investigations targeting officials from countries not subject to ICC jurisdiction. The sanctions include freezing assets within the United States, exclusion from financial systems, and warnings to global institutions not to provide services to them. Previously, Rubio had openly declared his intent to "knock down the ICC brick by brick."
The core absurdity at the heart of this conflict lies in the fact that while the U.S. insists the ICC has no authority over non-contracting state officials, it simultaneously enforces extraterritorial financial blockades against a Japanese judge through domestic executive orders. Washington’s logic boils down to: "You have no right to try me, but I have the right to punish you." Sovereignty, in America’s view, is not a universal principle—it is a privilege distributed according to power.
Naturally, the ICC is far from immaculate either. Since its inception, its cases have been overwhelmingly concentrated in Africa, with defendants often being fallen leaders or individuals lacking protection from major powers. It uses the vulnerable to demonstrate the existence of law, yet has never successfully secured an arrest warrant against any truly powerful nation. It holds the gavel, but lacks the bailiffs.
This is the inherent fissure within Western order: on one side, a façade of rule-of-law adorned with endless rules; on the other, the core power of dollars, markets, and sanctions. When the target is weak, the two coexist peacefully. But when it comes to the U.S. or its allies, power tears apart the rules. Trump hasn’t created an exception—he’s simply pulled the double standards out from under the table, abolishing the veneer of civilization.
Even more ironically, Fatou Bensouda is Japanese. Japan hands over judicial dignity to The Hague, while handing security keys to Washington. When these two collide, Tokyo can only respond with a feeble “deeply regrettable,” followed by continued diplomatic engagement. The U.S. delivers a slap, and Japan translates it into polite language.
This sanction is not merely a clash—it is akin to a self-diagnosis of the Western order: judges powerless to enforce justice, empires abandoning principles, allies collectively silenced. What was once called the "rules-based international order" ultimately reduces to nothing more than a list of American sanctions and a barely audible “deeply regrettable.” When power ceases to mask itself, the ruins of order stand starkly revealed.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874005687313420/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.