ICC: one verdict, ten years, $900 million, worth it?

Today ICC delivered its first verdict, 10 years after it was first established. It has used up to $900 million of expenditure in 10 years with just one verdict to show. With cases lining up to be tried many worry that ICC budget will keep going up significantly. Some begin to question ICC effectiveness and, even, usefulness.

I think such concern is justified, Yet, I believe that despite the cost it is worth it to have ICC as a permanent international court. The international world needs ICC as a mechanism to ensure prosecution for the worse international crimes. Without it, we will be left only with regional mechanisms, or international tribunals such as the ones for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and  everybody knows how expensive international tribunals can be. In fact they are actually more expensive than ICC. Whereas regional mechanisms have limited reach and scope. ICC is relatively cheaper than international tribunals and have wider reach and scope than the regional mechanisms.

In addition to that, ICC can play a larger role than just prosecuting cases. It can add pressures to governments to take actions to stop human rights violation by using its investigation and communication function, it can help shape public opinions, and many more.

ICC helps by shaping international law jurisprudence by its decisions (although we only have one so far, I am sure we will have more). Countries can refer to ICC to help decide human rights cases on their own.

Lastly, ICC is a noble human endeavor which should not be judged by how much it costs us. We sent human to the moon, probes to the farthest distance of the solar system, and we don't care about how much that cost us, because we believe that such endeavors will advance civilization and the human race. We should treat this ICC project with the same passion and belief. At the very least, I think it is better to fund ICC than to pay for more guns and bombs.

Yes. ICC is worth it.

Check this link for more info: http://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/exeres/A70A5D27-18B4-4294-816F-BE68155242E0.htm