American Servicemembers' Protection Act (thing)

A bill drafted by senator Jesse Helms, supported by the Bush administration and likely to be passed soon. It embodies everything that is ugly and despicable in US foreign policy. The core content:

• It prohibits the US from cooperation in any way with the creation and operation of the International Criminal Court.
• It threatens all countries that ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court with the total withdrawal of military aid (except key allies).
• It forbids the US to participate in any UN peacekeeping operations in which the US soldiers have not been granted immunity from prosecution by the ICC.
• It authorizes the president to use "all means necessary and appropriate" (including military force) to free any U.S. citizen or citizen of an allied country held by the court.

In short: It's the legal equivalent of saying "war crimes are only wrong when not committed by a citizen of the USA
and if you think different, I'm not playing with you anymore". And you guys are puzzled by Anti-Americanism??

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re Millenium: I have described my answers to that excuse in a writeup under Statute of the International Court of Justice.