Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-29T18:01:44.369Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

2 - American Public Opinion on International Courts and Tribunals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Cesare P. R. Romano
Affiliation:
Loyola Marymount University, California
Get access

Summary

Although the United States has historically played a seminal role in establishing international courts, tribunals, and a multitude of other quasi-judicial and implementation control bodies, it is also true that the U.S. government's support for, and participation in, these bodies has ebbed – perhaps reaching a low point at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Other chapters in this book address the attitudes of the U.S. government toward the various international courts and tribunals. A rarely explored question is whether the U.S. government's stance reflects a simultaneous decline in support among the American public. In particular, one could ask:

  • Do Americans support having international bodies adjudicate compliance with treaties? Are they willing to subject the United States to their judgments?

  • How do Americans react to the report of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Commission (February 2006) that found that the Guantanamo detention camps are inconsistent with international standards? Do they think the United States is obligated to change its practices according to the UN's findings and recommendations?

  • Do Americans think the United States should participate in the International Criminal Court (ICC), even if, as the Bush administration has argued, it might be used against U.S. soldiers?

  • Do Americans think an international court should have the right to investigate possible cases of torture? Or is this a purely domestic matter? Whom do they view as responsible for torture: those who carried out the torture or those who gave the orders?

Type
Chapter
Information
The Sword and the Scales
The United States and International Courts and Tribunals
, pp. 12 - 29
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×