March 2, 2005

New Polls Reinforce America’s Support for
The International Criminal Court
Justice in Darfur Can Only Be Achieved Through the Permanent International Tribunal

Washington, DC - A recent poll by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (CCFR) and the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland revealed what has long been known: that a large, bipartisan majority of Americans favor sending cases of genocide and war crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Sixty percent of the study’s 1,182 participants preferred referring the crisis in Darfur, Sudan to the ICC rather than using a temporary tribunal as suggested by the Bush Administration – a percentage consistent with previous studies.

Heather Hamilton, Vice-President for Programs, Citizens for Global Solutions said, “Regardless of the Bush Administration’s position on the International Criminal Court, the American public remains in support of the institution. A variety of polls released since 2002 have shown that Americans overwhelmingly favor the Court. Despite this, the Bush Administration has remained firm in its opposition to the ICC.”

In addition, the March 1, 2005 poll showed that people supported the ICC regardless of their political persuasion. Even after participants were presented with the Bush Administration’s rationale for not joining the ICC, they still, on the whole, favored referring Darfur to the International Criminal Court. In fact, half the participants were initially told that “the U.S. should not support the Court because trumped up charges may be brought against Americans.” Nonetheless, support for a referral of Darfur to the ICC remained consistent, hovering around 60 percent.

In 2002, the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations conducted a similar poll, which revealed that 65 percent of Americans supported U.S. participation in the ICC. In July 2004, another CCFR poll displayed that 82 percent of respondents (and 83 percent of Republicans) favored trying terrorists at the ICC, and that 75 percent of Americans supported U.S. participation with the Court. A follow-up poll by PIPA in October 2004 revealed that 71 percent of Americans favored joining the International Criminal Court (see below links to polling reports). Consistent in all of these studies is strong bipartisan support for legitimizing the ICC to help bring accountability to genocidal crimes.

This is yet another chink in the Bush Administration’s argument against referring the crisis in Darfur to the ICC. The UN Special Commission of Inquiry recently recommended a referral of Darfur to the Court as the most immediate and credible way to bring justice and accountability to the region. The Bush Administration, however, continues to oppose a referral to the ICC due to unsubstantiated fears that legitimizing the court would mean subjecting U.S. officials to judicial vendettas. With the findings of CCFR’s recent poll, it is now clear that President Bush’s stance is not only politically bogus but also contradicts the opinions of a bipartisan majority of Americans.

Charles J. Brown, President and CEO of Citizens for Global Solutions, was the spokesman for the U.S. delegation during the Rome conference that created the ICC treaty. In regards to the situation in Sudan, he noted that, “The U.S. determined genocide was occurring in Darfur last September. The situation has only deteriorated since then. Now is the time for President Bush to get in line with the American people and seek a swift solution to the crisis in Sudan through the ICC. The ICC is the only credible option capable of beginning an investigation immediately.”

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Note: Studies cited in this press release can be found at:
+ Read The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations Polls
+ Read The Program on International Policy Attitudes Polls

 

Contact:

Heather Hamilton
Vice President for Programs
202 546 3950 ext 107