US vow to dismantle the International Criminal Court draws global criticism

The United States is facing international criticism after senior leaders vowed to dismantle the International Criminal Court, describing the tribunal as a threat to US sovereignty. The comments have intensified a long-running dispute between Washington and the court, which was created to prosecute genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. Amnesty International has condemned the campaign as reprehensible, while other observers have warned that the rhetoric could further strain relations between the US and international institutions.

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According to the supplied report, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in mid-July that the US would wage a campaign to systematically disable the court's ability to function. He said the country was not a member of the treaty that established the court and that it should expect consequences for ignoring Washington. The report also says Donald Trump and Rubio have both criticised the court, with the administration now vowing to dismantle it "brick by brick".

The criticism comes as the Trump administration continues a broader anti-international institutions approach. Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, the US has cut funding to dozens of international organisations, permanently closed the US Agency for International Development and left the Paris Agreement on climate change, according to the report. A former State Department adviser, John Bellinger, said these moves were part of the same anti-international sentiment that has long existed in the Republican Party, but that the current administration had taken it to the highest level ever.

The dispute matters because the International Criminal Court is intended to act as a court of last resort when national systems are unable or unwilling to prosecute the gravest crimes. The US was one of seven countries that voted against the court's foundation in 1998, even as more than 100 countries backed its creation at the turn of the century. The renewed confrontation therefore revives a foundational disagreement over whether the court can operate independently of major powers that are not party to its treaty.

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The row also has wider political implications beyond the legal debate. The report says analysts see the renewed focus on the ICC as driven largely by domestic politics, with mid-term elections due in November and a presidential race looming. That suggests the issue is being used not only as a foreign policy signal, but also as part of a broader political message to supporters of the administration's America-first agenda.

The ICC itself has been a frequent target of criticism from governments that object to its reach or its investigations. In this case, the supplied material links the latest US campaign to the court's 2024 arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the Trump administration opposed. That detail places the dispute within a wider pattern of tension between the court and powerful states over accountability for alleged international crimes.

What remains unclear is how far the US campaign will go and what practical steps Washington may take to weaken the court. It is also not clear how other governments will respond if the pressure escalates further. For now, the confrontation appears set to continue as a test of the court's resilience and of the US government's willingness to challenge international legal institutions.

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