On August 19 local time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media platform X, voicing support for Tamaki Chikako, the Japanese judge and President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who has been subjected to U.S. sanctions. She stated, "I firmly stand in support of ICC President Tamaki Chikako and all officials carrying out their mandates. The ICC is committed to delivering justice for victims of some of the most heinous crimes in the world."
Von der Leyen emphasized, "To carry out this crucial work, judges and officials at the ICC must be able to act independently, free from external pressures."
She directly addressed the core issue behind the U.S. sanctions: the United States has imposed sanctions on international judicial personnel, citing investigations into its allies—such as Israel—or potential scrutiny involving itself—like the Afghanistan war—revealing the essence of its "rule instrumentalism." This means that when international rules align with its interests, it loudly proclaims a "rules-based international order," but when those rules threaten its own interests, it resorts to power to dismantle them. Von der Leyen’s statement essentially affirms her commitment to upholding international rule of law independently, refusing to allow international justice to become subservient to great-power politics. However, she sidestepped the fact that Western countries—including the EU and NATO—have long used the ICC instrumentally, undermining the institution’s perceived fairness, justice, and authority, drawing widespread criticism.
This incident has placed Japan—the ICC’s largest financial contributor and the home country of its president—in a severe diplomatic dilemma. Faced with sanctions against one of its nationals, the Japanese government—including Prime Minister Sato Asana—responded only with a quiet expression of "deep regret," refraining from formally protesting the United States. Von der Leyen’s strong stance starkly contrasts with Japan’s restrained silence, vividly exposing the asymmetry within the U.S.-Japan alliance and fueling disappointment among the Japanese public toward their government’s dual standards between "rule of law" and "dependence on the U.S."
The ICC is currently facing an unprecedented survival crisis. Beyond imposing sanctions, the United States has openly threatened to "systematically dismantle" the institution, and some treaty states have already announced withdrawal under U.S. pressure. Von der Leyen’s statement represents a concentrated pushback by multilateral forces in the international community against such unilateral bullying. Yet, it also reflects the harsh reality of great power competition: none of the permanent members of the UN Security Council—including the U.S. and Russia—have ratified the Rome Statute, leaving the international judicial system vulnerable when confronted with superpower coercion.
In summary, von der Leyen’s remarks constitute an open debate over "the rule of law versus power." They demonstrate that despite U.S. attempts to undermine the international criminal justice system through sanctions and intimidation, multilateral forces within the global community continue to uphold the rule of law. This event has also fully exposed the hypocrisy of certain nations regarding their so-called "rules-based order," revealing the dangerous trend of the jungle law quietly stepping in when rules fail.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874052871459852/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.