The ICC: Peace by Peace

I have been home in the United States for a month now.  In that time, the memories I made, and my enjoyment in telling them to anyone willing to listen, have not diminished one iota.  I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I had to participate in this event. This gratefulness is the drive behind my main take home point.  My take home point is that more people need to know what I now know; more need to experience what I was lucky enough to experience.  The Hague tradition should not be the best kept secret in the world.  As witnesses of this tradition I feel that it is our duty to spread this knowledge.

One particular writing we studied in class touches on this subject well.  Charles Malik’s “Talk on Human Rights” stresses the importance of not settling for “modern times to be happy and self-sufficient” but; rather, to “step forth and lead."  Malik says that "if your institutions and traditions are not adapted for the production of a ringing message which will appeal to the mind and hearts of others and on which you can stake your whole life, then in the present world…you cannot lead."  I think that this message should be taken to heart.  We were lucky enough to be able to experience The Hague tradition, but if we do nothing with that gift we are betraying the peace movement.  Malik’s article also talks extensively about The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Malik mentions a few specific rights spelled out in the Declaration and says surely "there is no full life without these rights."  One of the rights he mentions is the right to education.  Established in Article 26 of the Declaration, education is a critical right guaranteed to all peoples.  The article says education will promote friendship among nations which will further the United Nations goal of maintaining peace.  This article does much more than declare everyone has an inherent right to an education.  I believe it is also a call to action for everyone already blessed with an education to share what they have been given.  I am one of the few Americans who knows about the Peace Palace, the International Criminal Court, and the worldwide peace movement.  According to the Declaration of Human Rights and Charles Malik, it is my duty as a human being to spread this crucial knowledge,

I would like to talk now about what I gained on this study abroad trip to The Netherlands.  I gained a knowledge of the intricacies of international law and relations, I gained a deeper understanding of myself, and I gained a greater understanding of what it means to be a part of a global society.  It’s one thing to learn about international law though a book; it’s quite another thing to learn about it in The Hague.  As the home of the International Criminal Court, the Peace Palace, etc.. The Hague is the perfect place to study international law.  I was able to learn from traveling expert lawyers, professors, and ambassadors.  Had I not gone on this trip, I have no doubt I would not have this knowledge augmenting my education.

It is because of this education that I also gained a greater understanding of myself.  The evening we had dinner with Peace Prize Laureate Laymah Gbowee she asked me what I planned to do with my life.  Up till that moment I had always been rather proud to say I planned to go to law school and practice law.  However, telling that to a woman who did so much for peace was something entirely new to me.  It made me think of what is truly important in life and what I can do to reach those things.  I realized that there are more important things in life than living for money and finite possessions.  Things such as global justice and human rights are much more important things to live for.  This brings me to my third thing I learned - being a part of a global society.  As the world continues to become more and more globalized, it is no longer enough to know only about your own country.  For Americans especially, knowledge of the world beyond our boarders is imperative.  After experiencing this trip, the most important thing I learned is that this knowledge is not mine to keep under a basket.  If it’s true that education is key to world peace, this knowledge must be shared, and it is now my responsibility to help share it.

(Display board explaining the life and contributions to world peace of Henry Dunant.)

Compared to the sporadic rain going on outside, the scene inside The Hague Municipal Building was considerably better. On display were five different exhibits aimed at educating the populace about the Peace Palace, the ICC and the peace movement.  For the most part, I think the different displays were accomplishing that goal. Many people I saw during my time at the exhibit were busy reading the different display boards or admiring the large murals depicting the different potential designs for the palace of peace which decorated the walls. While I feel that the exhibit did an adequate job at meeting its goal, there is always room for a little improvement. 

The large murals which graced the walls of the municipal building were the first display to grab my attention. As I said, the murals depicted the different potential designs for the peace palace which architects submitted in their bid to get the job. As I learned from my time spent reading The Peace Palace by Arthur Eyffinger, the winning blueprint was designed by French architect Louis Marie Cordonnier.  The murals were an excellent way to get people’s attention, and get them to stop to admire both the different designs and the other displays as well. However, I for one did not see a board explaining those were the different designs or which architect submitted which design. This is either because there was no such board, or because I did not see it - in which case said display board should be easier to spot. Despite this, I feel the murals were a good addition to the overall exhibition.

From the murals I next found myself admiring the glass cases full of Peace Palace memorabilia. One such piece was the game board depicted about. The game seemed to be somewhat of a cross between “monopoly” and “trivial pursuit”; and with rules printed in over three languages it was enough to occupy me for quite some time. While most of the items contained within the glass were fairly self-explanatory, others, like the game board, were not. I think this part of the exhibition could also have benefitted from one or more informative signs. Also, after seeing all the cool Peace Palace knick-knacks I was rather sad to leave the display empty handed. I think a short pamphlet with some pictures and information would be a great addition to this display.

The rest of the exhibition was made up of the display boards which talked about the different leaders of the Peace Movement over the years as well as a few key historical moments in said movement. I think these boards were very well put together. They all featured numerous large, colorful images which caught the eye of many people I feel would have otherwise passed them by. Unfortunately, I feel there were just too many to look at, and the fact that they were arranged in maze-like fashion only helped to fuel my confusion and educational overload. I would guess that they were arranged in such a way to try and “trap” potential readers, however; I think that they would be far more beneficial arranged in an orderly line.

(cartoon on display as part of the exhibition)

Overall, I feel that the exhibit is an excellent way to promote peace education in preparation for the upcoming centenary of the Peace Palace. (For more on the 100 year anniversary click here.) The changes I mentioned were all mostly minor, but I feel that their implementation would help nonetheless. The addition of some sort of flyer/pamphlet I think would be the most significant tweak to the exhibit. As far as the most important thing I learned goes, that would have to be “the importance of being auto-didactic." I think I was only able to appreciate the exhibit 100% because of my ever-growing knowledge in this area. Unless the changes I proposed, and perhaps more, are implemented, I feel that the exhibition’s goal of peace education cannot be fully realized. Partially reaching a goal is not success. 

We arrived in the Netherlands two weeks ago this Wednesday. Like the rest of the group I was anxious and excited at the same time about being in this new country I knew only a little about. Two weeks have almost passed and already so much has changed. We are all now fairly adept at using the transit systems and we have discovered a handful of favorite restaurants whereas before we were confined to the area around the Skotel. Now it seems as though the blank edges of the map are starting to be filled in. The three most important things I have learned this week are: 1) to ask questions; 2) that without an understanding of the past, one cannot grasp the true state of the present and/or the future; and 3) that there is a lot more to the ICC than the American view of it.

Asking questions is the most important of the three to me for sure. Two good examples of experiences I had this past week where asking questions taught me something valuable are: when we were lost in Amsterdam and downtown Den Haag we would always ask a local for directions (admittedly only after wandering around for a few hours); and second, when we met with all the experts this past week. I think it was a vital lesson to learn that there are plenty of people here in The Netherlands willing to lend us a hand if we only ask them for it. It was very nice to see people gladly take the time to help give us directions or some recommendations on where we should go. Similarly, when we met with the CICC, the Women’s Initiatives organization, and Arthur Eyffinger this past week, learning to ask questions was a great lesson to learn.

Eyffinger was a great person to meet. He seems to know everything about The Netherlands and also boasts an opinion on just about every world topic we presented to him. A great learning moment for me came on the boat trip to Rotterdam. I was under the impression that the Dutch were neutral throughout WWII.  When I asked Eyffinger however, it turns out that I was incorrect.  He taught us how in times of crisis the Dutch would flood their lowlands to protect their major cities from invaders. The Dutch did this and other forms of resistance during the war for a short time until the Nazis terror bombed Rotterdam and threatened to level Amsterdam as well if the Dutch failed to capitulate. Had I failed to ask my question, I would still be ignorant of such an important piece of history and Dutch heritage. To learn more about The Netherlands during World War II go to this site.

My second most important thing I learned stays on the subject of history. On Thursday we met with Arthur Eyffinger for the second time. In a few hours of Q/A lecture on the history of the relationship between The Netherlands and the United States regarding international cooperation and the ICC between the two nations we learned invaluable lessons. Without knowing the history we learned that day about the connections between our two great nations we would be ignorant to the real picture when asking the question “why does the U.S. seem so "turned off” to the ICC and the movement for world peace through justice?“ 

My third most important thing has to do with a misconception of mine being torn down. Before we met with the CICC and the Women’s Initiative for Gender Justice I looked at the ICC through the eyes of the average American citizen. I thought the ICC was a great movement aimed at punishing certain offenders; but that was about the limit of my understanding. However, after meeting with these two respectable organizations I learned that not only are there a much greater number of people and organizations involved in working with the ICC, but also that the ICC is lobbied much like any national government. The Women’s Initiative organization is an especially good example. This group has gained a moderately large following and continues to grow in strength each year. Their goal of lobbying the ICC to punish offenders of crimes against humanity regarding mass rape and other gender-related crimes was an eye-opener for sure.  The fact that suspects of such crimes could get away with such heinous acts is sickening. It was nice to meet with and learn all about what the women’s organization is doing to stop such individuals.

To close, my prospective research topic gets slightly more specific and refined each day. As my Honors Senior Project has to do with CMU’s connection to the worldwide peace movement, I am planning to do my research project on the movement for peace in the United States or something near to that topic. I figure that way I can build a strong foundation of knowledge on the peace movements of the U.S. and then be able to move from this rather general topic to the more specific topic of my Honors project. 

Remember that first time you saw your favorite band or artist live in concert and thought to yourself: “wow they really do exist and are this amazing”?  I know I sure do; and I know that my first few days living in The Hague have brought forth that reaction.  Learning about the Peace Palace and “The Hague Tradition” are one thing, experiencing them for yourself is quite another.  So far, I feel like a kid in a candy store or the embodiment of the “mile wide, inch deep” metaphor.  There is just no end to the knowledge that can be learned and the experiences that can be had here.  Also, the people we have met here so far seem to know that this place is perhaps the best-kept, though also the most ill-advised, secret in the world.  Everyone has been ecstatic to have us here, and has been more than willing to assist us any way they can.  Whether it’s the staff at the Skotel we are staying at giving us advice on living in The Hague, or the scholars at the Peace Palace passionately answering our questions; everyone seems excited to have us here.

One of my first learning experiences was when we visited the New Church in Delft on our first day in The Netherlands.  I’ve studied a bit of ancient Greek and Roman history and one figure I have grown close to is the so called “Lady of Justice” who was a goddess featured in both Greek and Roman faith.  As I am aspiring to attend law school, you can see why I can connect with such a figure.  There were four statues in the center of the church representing “The Four Virtues."  To my astonishment, one of them was a beautiful statue of the Lady of Justice.  After I had looked at it for a few moments however, I noticed that she was missing the traditional sword with which she is nearly always depicted.  Near the statues was a information table.  About my statue it said that "if you’ll notice the sword the lady often carries is missing; this is possibly because of the princes desire to emphasize justice though law rather than force."  I was rather proud to have noticed the missing sword and to have stumbled upon such an interesting and relevant-to-our-trip piece of knowledge. 

In my first paragraph I touched on how the scholars and the staff of the Peace Palace Library have treated us.  I wish to elaborate on that now as my second learning experience.  I have been truly amazed at how excited they have been to answer our questions, show us around, and share their knowledge with us.  While lesser individuals would like to hide their collection of information from those wishing to learn from it, the staff of the Peace Palace couldn’t be happier to share what they have with us.  I think it is clear that they understand the wealth of knowledge housed at the Peace Palace does not belong to any one man but the entire human race; and by sharing it with us, we can then in turn share it with others.

My third learning experience was traveling to Delft with our whole group and Megan.  While the trip to Delft was fun and enjoyable, it was also an invaluable learning experience for us.  Not only did we get good practice at using the bus and train systems to get around The Netherlands, we also got a chance to field questions to a CMU alum who has spent her past few years living in Leiden.  Meeting and talking to Megan was both fun and informative.  She gave us advice on things we should check out and things we should avoid.  She also was able to back up some of the "American” complaints we had so far.  Complaints about the service at restaurants and USD-Euro conversions rates were two of such issues we were experiencing.  Megan backed those up and then went on to tell us how much she was missing Taco Bell and other fast food places back home.  All in all, it was great meeting her and I hope we see more of her during the course of our trip.

Another great experience we enjoyed as a group was being able to see some of the rarer books housed beneath the Peace Palace Library.  One such book was a massive aging scrapbook filled with scraps of information dealing with the history of the peace movement.  In keeping with the theme of my CMU honors senior project (to discover more about CMU’s past connection to the American peace movement of the early 20th century) I hope to do more research at the Peace Palace library on the global peace movement.  If that giant book is as intriguing as it heavy, it is certainly worth spending more time with. 

After the first two weeks of class I cannot describe my emotion any better than with the word “disappointed."  Don’t get me wrong, the material was powerful and words like "captivating”, “eye-opening”, and “enlightening” certainly all come to mind, yet; now that I am armed with this little-known knowledge I can’t help but be disappointed that the United States of America is not an adhering member of the International Criminal Court community.  And that leads me to the question that is the reason behind the seemingly out-of-place picture shown above: “is the ICC truly an international entity with the potential power to "end impunity” and promote peace, or is it merely a sleeping paper tiger?  At first glace the ICC appears to be a shinning bastion for international cooperation and a brilliant leap forward for humanity; but I can’t help but believe the ICC will never live up to its noble purpose when all the World’s major superpowers, including the United States, refuse to join and thereby allow themselves to be held accountable to a foreign body.

What makes everything all the more frustrating for myself as an American is all the evidence I have read and discovered dealing with a former strong peace movement in the U.S. called the American School Peace League.  The League was started in 1908 by Fannie Fern Andrews who subsequently served as the League’s longtime secretary.  From my research, which admittedly is only in its fledgling state, I have discovered that there were chapters of the Peace League in every State in the U.S. which all strived to achieve world peace through unique education curriculums.  It’s absolutely mind-blowing how the United States can spiral from a nation practicing peace-through-education principles down to not signing the Rome Statute.  Somewhere along the line America seems to have forgotten herself.

Despite my frustration and disappointment, by no means am I ready to throw in the towel.  These past two weeks of class we have studied and learned much about the famous American prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz.  In one particular video we watched, he described himself as a careful-optimist when the topic is American future involvement with the ICC.  I would have to agree with him.  Slowly but surely awareness is being raised in the American populace about the ICC, and therein lays the most important thing I learned these past two weeks - education and getting the word out about these issues is absolutely paramount if the dream of world peace through law is to be realized. 

Earlier I asked the question “is the ICC a paper tiger?"  Based on all I have learned thus far I would say no it is not.  The ICC is still young, and only recently got it’s first case under its belt.  Great strides have been made but there is still a long ways to go for the ICC.  While the glaring fact that the various superpowers of the world refuse to join surely is a large grain of salt, overall the ICC has arguably done more for ending impunity than any other entity.  To paraphrase Ben Ferencz, the human conscience awakens slowly.  Great movements such as the ICC take time to reach their full potential.  Education and raising awareness remain the greatest tactics for helping expedite the awakening of the human conscience. 

Benjamin Ferencz was a United States prosecutor during the Nuremberg trials.  Ferencz successfully pushed for, and then litigated himself, the largest murder trial in human history.  As a living legend of U.S. international law, Ferencz is a perfect source for learning about our nations current international relations policies.  Ferencz’s personal site (http://benferencz.org) contains a plethora of information dealing with The Hague, the International Criminal Court, and the United States’ involvement, or lack of involvement, with such bastions of international cooperation.  After reading this information, one will be more able to answer the question “where does the U.S. stand on signing the Rome Statute and joining the ICC?" 

The three most important things I have learned are: 1) Ben Ferencz is one of many Americans who campaign for the United States to sign onto the Rome Statute; 2) despite "crimes of aggression” being consensually defined, all the major superpower countries, including the U.S., voted against allowing any foreign court hold power over their affairs; and 3) that despite the U.S.’s current attitude towards the ICC there is cause to hope as recently some small but vital steps were taken by individuals who campaign for the U.S. to officially join the rest of the world under the umbrella of the International Criminal Court.  Though its been slow going thus far, “there has been a slow awakening of the human conscience” in the United States.

First, in many articles found under the “News” link Ben Ferencz is often quoted or referenced in many major articles written on U.S. international affairs.  Examples of these articles include ones written on the U.S.’s killing of Bin Laden and the U.S.’s “unsigning” of the Rome Statute.  Every time Ben is featured in such articles he chides the U.S.’s actions and advocates a policy of less violence and more law.  For example, I learned from the Bin Laden article that the terrorist leader was shot in his pajamas in his compound when the seal team began their assault.  Ferencz was appalled by the United States’ handling of that situation.  He explained that the capture of Bin Laden should have been a priority so that he could stand trial before the world at the ICC.  I can’t help but agree with that assertion.

Second, in many articles, including ones he himself wrote and others in which he is again quoted as a source, Ben Ferencz chides the United States and the other superpower countries of the modern era for their non-involvement with the ICC (see article).  Ferencz argues that the United States signing onto the Rome Statute as a full member of the ICC would be a huge step forward for the court as the U.S. is the “most dominant” country in the world today.  Should the U.S. eventually do so, our weight behind the court would place the ICC on the level it should rightly be on: a level where it can hold any nation accountable for crimes against humanity.

Lastly, I learned that my disappointment with the U.S’s non-involvement may hopefully not last as long as I first suspected.  There were many articles featured in Ben Ferencz’s news archives which pointed out major individuals campaigning for U.S. adoption of the Rome Statute.  One such article pointed out that while President Obama, the Clintons, Ron Paul, John McCain, and other political leaders in the U.S. remain non-committal to the ICC, John Edwards and others campaigned for the Presidency on the promise of joining the ICC.  Such an action is much needed in this country.  Even if the promise Edwards and his fellow ICC advocates made went unfulfilled, it had to have raised public awareness of the ICC and Rome Statute and that is what is sorely lacking in the United States.  If more of the citizenry knew of the ICC and what it stands for, perhaps enough public pressure could be mounted to help speed the “awakening of the human conscience” in the U.S.

Through reading the articles on Ferencz’s site I now feel I know much more about the United States and other major nations’ opposition to submitting to joining the ICC.  It’s been slow going in the U.S., but, thanks to Ben Ferencz and those like him, I believe the United States is moving closer to adopting the Rome Statute.  I think my early disappointment may have been premature.  There is hope to be found after all and I am now optimistic of what the future holds for the United States and the ICC.

The life of Henry Dunant, and especially his contribution to the international peace movement, truly is one of the best kept secrets of history.  Born in 1828, Henry was a Swiss businessman and social activist.  He attended the College Calvin until 1849, and then three later founded the Geneva chapter of the YMCA.  It was while working for the bank Lullin et Sautter that Henry was sent to Algeria to handle the bank’s interests in the area.  Despite little experience, Henry fulfilled his assignment in the region.  Henry’s first book, An Account of the Regency in Tunis, was written about this trip and was published in 1858. 

In 1856 Henry again proved himself an entrepreneur by starting his own business in Algeria.  Things were going well, however; problems with the local population and water supply/availability eventually forced Henry Dunant to seek out French Emperor Napoleon III and begin his long journey towards his destiny.  Napoleon was occupied fighting the Austrians who controlled much of modern-day Italy.  Intent on flattering Napoleon into not only granting him an audience, but also into supporting his water dam project, Henry wrote a short book praising the French emperor.  What Henry found in Italy he could scarce have imagined.  The horrors of the war were visible everywhere.  Henry found himself in the middle of the Battle of Solferino which occurred in 1859.  Thirty-eight thousand men lay wounded and dying; left for dead on the battlefield with little to nothing being done for them.  Seizing the initiative Henry again set about doing what he knew had to be done.  He organized the local civilian population into makeshift hospitals with the sole purpose of treating the wounded soldiers, regardless of their allegiances.  Henry also managed to secure the release of many Austrian doctors taken prisoner by the French to aid his mission.  Under the motto "tutti fratelli" which means “all are brothers,” Henry’s fledgling organization saved many lives which otherwise would have been lost in the bloody aftermath of war.

We all now know what Henry did next, though most of the modern world does not.  Henry successfully gained the support of Napoleon for his international organization, and then called a special convention in Geneva of European countries to gather more support.  His passion and drive eventually won them over and the International Committee of the Red Cross was founded.  (Link to ICRC homepage: http://www.icrc.org/eng/index.jsp) The organization was to be an international entity free from national ties and operating under the banner of neutrality.  The Red Cross was, and remains today, dedicated to saving human lives wherever that mission takes them.  An excellent link to the ICRC’s principles/articles and other information: http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/INTRO/120?OpenDocument.

In class we spent a reasonable amount of our time discussing crimes against humanity as well as the international peace movement aimed at ultimately eliminating war and any other scourges of the human race.  The modern peace movement and the Peace Palace may not have existed today, or at least not in the way we know them to be, were it not for Henry Dunant and his human rights organization.  It was Henry’s passion which eventually resulted in the First Geneva Convention being in 1864 to address his fledgling Red Cross.  That Geneva Convention was the first major meeting of world powers aimed at enshrining and protecting basic human rights and dignity.  For more information about the convention visit: http://lawbrain.com/wiki/First_Geneva_Convention.  Were it not for this convention who knows who would have sparked the movement or when.

Henry Dunant did enjoy a brief period of fame in the public eye when several papers began writing on the forgotten founder of the Red Cross in the late 1890’s.  Henry received an award from the Pope and donations to the ICRC began flowing in in greater numbers.  In 1901 Henry received the first ever Nobel Peace Prize.  The second Peace Prize would go to Bertha von Suttner, Henry’s longtime friend and colleague.  Henry would pass away in October of 1910.  His birthday May 8th is celebrated worldwide as World Red Cross Day.  Henry Dunant may not be the household name I believe it should be, however; his contribution to the modern day peace movement is beyond measure.  It was Henry who first began the long climb towards peace and human rights, and he left behind a perfect shining example for us to follow.