Originally I posted this during the first week of March, on here. However, this is an updated which will includes Bush’s meeting with Mexico’s President Vicente Fox.
Since coming into office in 2001, the Bush administration has consistently opposed to having the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, hold US military and political leaders to a uniform global standard of justice. The ICC is the only international court to try individuals accused of the worst violations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity when national courts are destroyed or unable to handle the case, or are deliberately shielding the accused from justice. Although the ICC is in line with the wingnuttery’s declared “American values” of accountability, equality and justice, BushCo argues that the court, could be used for frivolous or politically motivated prosecutions of U.S. troops. Talk about the double standard, we dictate that other countries need the highest standards of fairness and judicial process, but when it comes to us – torture is the new American way.
BushCo has aggressively bullied other countries to sign a bilateral immunity agreements (BIAs), otherwise known as “Article 98,” to insure immunity of US nationals from prosecution by the Court. Sadly, BushCo is playing the role of the school yard bully to dozens of poor countries who refuse to sign the BIA. By refusing to sign a BIA, many US allies have already lost their US military aid and additional economic support funds through the foreign trade and foreign direct investment (FDI).
Last fall, Mexico became a signatory to the ICC making them the 12th country from the Latin America-Caribbean area to be punished under the U.S. American Service-Members’ Protection Act. This law prohibits US military assistance to countries that have not signed the “Article 98” agreements.
In July 2004, the House attached an anti-ICC amendment, the Nethercutt Amendment, to the FY05 Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (HR4818) – cutting off all Economic Support Funds to every country that did not sign the “Article 98” agreement. And the Nethercutt-type language was included again for the FY06 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill, (HR3057).
Countries that refused to sign the Article 98 agreements have already lost lost the following military aid: International Military Education and Training (IMET), Foreign Military Financing (FMF), Excess Defense Articles (EDA) and non-drug Emergency Drawdown Authority funds (506(b)). Section 574 of the 2005 Foreign Operations Appropriations law (P.L. 108-447), the provision that adds the Economic Support Funds (ESF).
According to an ICC advocacy group, Citizens for Global Solutions, US military aid is a key component to Mexican security in combating drug trafficking. The US did warn Mexico that joining the ICC would lead to the cut of an $11.5 million program to help its justice system deal with drug trafficking. According to the Seattle Times, Mexico could lose almost 40% in US economic aid if it decided to defy the US.
Ever since October of last year, Mexico’s relationship with the US has been tense. since decided to defy BushCo, the relationship between Mexico and the US have been strained. One possible explanation, the US did cut foreign aid to Mexico. On March 9, the Houston Chronicle, reported, “the sanctions have been imposed without an official announcement.” Not only will BushCo take their marbles and go home, but they don’t have to tell anybody when they are going home. Mexico is not the only country try in Latin America that Bush decided to punish.
ICC-related sanctions have cut the roster of trainees from the hemisphere by almost 800 over the past few years, eroding the traditionally deep ties between the U.S. and Latin American militaries.
Mexico has yet to down and continues to refuse to sign the “Article 98” agreement. President Vicente Fox’s spokesman, Ruben Aguilar, said
“Mexico will be irrefutable in supporting the protocols of the international court, whatever the cost. Nobody in the world should be immune from the action of justice.”
For this years FY06 Appropriations Bill, there is a twist to the Nethercutt provision, the bill now includes a waiver for all NATO Allies, non-NATO allies, and any country the President considers to be in the “national interests of the US” with Congress’ aproval. According to the Citizens for Global Solutions, Bush has yet to invoke the waiver.
This week, today and Friday, Bush is meeting with Mexico’s President Vicente Fox. One has to wonder, with the sanctions already in effect, was the passage of HR4437 a way to get Mexico to sign the “Article 98” agreement?
A couple days ago while addressing questions from Canadian and Mexican reporters, Bush outlined his agenda for immigration reform at the upcoming Security and Prosperity Partnership” meeting in Cancun, Mexico.
“I believe that any immigration bill ought to make sure that we’re … able to secure the borders,” he said. “I also recognize that part of securing the borders requires a guest-worker program … In other words, the two go hand-in-hand.”
According to the State Department the ESF funds are:
promote the Administration’s priorities in the Hemisphere -stable and prosperous democracies, thriving economies, and secure borders and cooperative neighbors -through programs that focus on democracy and anti-corruption, trade-led economic growth, and counternarcotics
However, what does the really mean? And who will actually get hurt if it is built? The only thing mentioned in the Senate Judicary Committee vote was that it was not going to arrest people for aiding, but it never mentioned the “Border Wall.”
By building the “Wall,” the US ends up screwing itself in the foot. Mexico has become the second largest trading partner to the US, since the signing of NAFTA in 1994. And President Fox knows this very well. And it looks like he is calling the US’s bluff.
In a recent speech, he predicted that by 2010, the United States would “beg” Mexico for workers in vain, suggesting that by then the Mexican economy would generate enough jobs to sustain its 100 million-plus people.
It will be interesting to find out what happens because this year is Mexico’s election.
