Published Jul 15, 2026, 9:17 AM EDT
Rubio’s campaign against the ICC exposes U.S. double standards on international law, Russia, Ukraine and accountability.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC) “brick by brick, if necessary,” accusing it of waging a legal war against the United States through “statutes, compacts, and the force of so-called international law.” The State Department described the announcement as a “whole-of-government” campaign to systematically disable the court and pressure other countries to reject its authority over Americans. Officials have discussed additional sanctions, travel restrictions, visa revocations and diplomatic pressure. Most of those measures remain proposals rather than completed actions. Rubio argues that the ICC has transformed from a court for extraordinary atrocities into a radical institution threatening American service members, law enforcement officers and political leaders. The Justice Department separately declared July 2 that it would not cooperate with ICC investigations, extraditions or transfers involving Americans because the United States never ratified the Rome Statute.
Rubio’s Sovereignty Argument
