"Unsigning" the Rome Statute

May 6, 2002 -- In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General and in a speech by Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman, the Bush administration declared that "the United States has no legal obligations arising from its signature" of the Rome Statute, in essence "unsigning" the ICC treaty and withdrawing U.S. involvement in the Court. 

• Transcript of issues update briefing by Pierre-Richard Prosper, U.S. Ambassador-at-large for War Crimes Issues (May 6, 2002)
• Announcement of Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense (May 6, 2002)

The Administration's unprecedented action was quickly decried by other U.S. leaders and the country's closest allies:

• European Union declaration against U.S. decision (May 13, 2002)
• Congressional letter sent by Congressman Joseph Crowley and 44 of his congressional colleagues (May 22, 2002). “President Bush’s repudiation of the Court drastically undermines the moral and legal credibility of the United States in the international arena and rejects the principle that war criminals and perpetrators of genocide should be brought to justice,” Crowley said