American Daily: ICC To Target Capitalism As A Crime?

Well, the ICC is at it again! The International Criminal Court seems to be monthly changing its direction and expanding its scope. Now they have basically announced that they feel they should be able to prosecute any business man who has had the misfortune to have done business with any "Criminal" the ICC has targeted whether that business man knows he had such dealings or not.

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What is it that is so scary about this new ICC direction? According to reports Luis Moreno-Ocampo has announced that bankers, capitalists and businessmen can be legitimate targets of the ICC. He is said to have warned the international business community that they can be held accountable by the ICC for directly OR indirectly assisting a government who might be accused of violating international law. He is further quoted as having "encouraged" international corporations to cooperate with the ICC to avoid such prosecution.

This is a shocking concept. What could it do to capital investment if international businessmen might have to fear being whisked from their offices and placed before this "court" for prosecution, even if they had no idea that the business they were involved in may have gone toward some sort of international crime against humanity? Wouldn't one expect businessmen to fear that the unstable governments they are dealing with might run afoul of the barely understood and ill defined rationale of this international court which would cause the poor businessman to be brought up on charges right along with them as well? Wouldn't you imagine that such businessmen might scale back the very kinds of investment that would help third world nations advance into the 21st century?

Copyright © 2003 Warner Todd Huston