international criminal court: jurisdiction over non-members Courtesy: Shutterstock
8 April 2021

The ICC’s jurisdiction conundrum

On 3 March 2021, the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, commenced an official investigation into Israel and Palestinian Armed Groups' alleged war crimes committed in the occupied territories of Palestine since July 2014. Palestine, which referred the case, is a member of the ICC, but Israel is not. Does the ICC have any jurisdiction in these cases? Will US support for Israel play a role? The three instances in the table show precedents in similar matters.

Capture d’écran 2020-02-04 à 16.00.17 Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
4 February 2020

The Unwanted Wars

Countries in the Middle East, such as Iran, Israel or Saudi Arabia, do not want a military confrontation. Yet, current circumstances conduce to the breaking out of just such a war

34784282675_bc82e8c9d3_b Courtesy: The White House/Flickr
31 May 2017

Trump: blunt to NATO, cosy with Saudis

Trump’s first foreign visit to West Asia and Europe brought home what the president means by “America First” even as he stands accused of committing two major foreign policy transgressions

Azaz,_Syria Courtesy: Wikipedia
9 March 2016

India and the Syrian quagmire

With a cessation of hostilities been brokered by Russia and the United States, the conflict in Syria has entered a tense pause. India has had a bystander attitude to the conflict in Syria. However, with the truce expected to be short, does India have the incentive or the option to depart from its current position, and deepen its engagement in Syria?

EndISISFlickrDawn Endico Courtesy: Dawn Endico
3 December 2015

Can ISIS be defeated?

Today ISIS is the gravest international security threat. To defeat ISIS, the world should pay heed to India’s experience of the need to isolate state sponsors of terrorism. Ultimately, only when Saudi Arabia acknowledges the danger to its own survival from past policies of alleged support to extremist groups, can it be a reliable partner in the fight against ISIS.

Israel-Saudi Courtesy: Wikipedia
13 July 2015

Reassessing our Israel, Arab engagement

The announcement in June of a Saudi-Israeli alliance against Iran has to be seen in the context of the strategic dimensions of India’s relations with Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, and the U.S. And it has far-reaching implications for India’s policy towards West Asia

IS Courtesy: U.S. Staff Sergeant Aaron Allmon
16 September 2014

Modi, Obama and the Islamic State

Obama’s strategy to target the IS in Syria within the framework of a U.S.-led international coalition has met with a tepid response. There are reports that the U.S may offer India a non-NATO ally status during Modi’s upcoming visit in a bid to seek greater support – a gesture that India will do well to disregard.

Latin-America-gaza Courtesy: news.yahoo.com
5 August 2014

Latin America takes a stand

The sharp Latin American response to the Israeli bombings in Gaza, on the back of solid support from the U.S., is attributable to the memory of the atrocities committed by past Latin American military dictators with similar U.S. backing. Their strong response is also a sign of the increasingly independent and assertive Latin American voice on the global stage

west asia W123 Wikimedia Courtesy: W123/WikimediaCommons
6 December 2013

Orienting to the new West Asia

Whether backdoor geopolitics rather than careful negotiations brought about the interim agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, the next six months will determine its fate. Reactions have ranged from a furious and mistrustful Israel to collective relief by many countries, and a worried India welcoming the agreement