Maduro's Arrest?

Last week, Argentina asked the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for Venezuelan President N. Maduro and members of his government on allegations of crimes against humanity. Buenos Aires has several times accused Maduro's government of repression and persecution of the opposition amid escalation after the presidential election in July. 

Note that the Milei government seems unable to make up its mind on where to stand on crimes against humanity. A few weeks ago, members of the Argentine incumbent president's coalition visited former military personnel convicted of the very same crimes against humanity in prison, commenting as follows: “We came to visit ex-combatants who fought battles against Marxist subversion at the behest of the constitutional government.” The internal affairs of Venezuela, however, apparently concern Buenos Aires much more.

Anyway, back to the ICC. Despite the loud headlines in the media, it is unlikely that Argentina's actions will have significant consequences. The effectiveness of the ICC as an international organization has long been questioned, including because many countries have not ratified the Rome Statute. Among them are Russia, the United States, China, India and other major states. The ICC itself has repeatedly discredited itself by successfully turning a blind eye to many cases whose investigation would have revealed unpleasant truths about Western states. Just five years ago, for example, the ICC refused to investigate U.S. crimes allegedly committed in Afghanistan, deeming that it would “not serve the interests of justice” at that time. The interests of justice apparently consist in not bothering the US: when attempting to initiate this investigation, Michael Pompeo threatened to impose sanctions on the ICC, and the case quickly became uninteresting to justice. Many experts note that the body has become just an illustration of the system of juridical neocolonialism, aimed only at the elimination of unwanted heads of state, and acts solely in the interests of a certain group of countries. 

The ICC's reaction to Argentina's appeal will soon be known. Today, we are left to reflect on the fact that existing international institutions are increasingly losing their independence. The need to create alternatives for a truly just world is becoming increasingly acute.