U.S. withdraws from international accords, says U.N. world court 'politicised'

[webfact]

U.S. withdraws from international accords, says U.N. world court 'politicised'

By Roberta Rampton, Lesley Wroughton and Stephanie van den Berg

 

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton answers a question from a reporter about how he refers to Palestine during a news conference in the White House briefing room in Washington, U.S., October 3, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Wednesday pulled out of two international agreements after Iran and the Palestinians complained to the International Court of Justice about U.S. policies, the latest withdrawal by Washington from multilateral accords.

 

The U.S. national security adviser John Bolton slammed the highest United Nations tribunal as "politicised and ineffective" as he announced that the United States would review all international agreements that could expose it to binding decisions by the ICJ.

 

Earlier on Wednesday the ICJ handed a victory to Tehran, ordering the United States to ensure that sanctions against Iran, due to be tightened next month, do not affect humanitarian aid or civil aviation safety.

 

Tehran had argued that the U.S. sanctions imposed since May by the Trump administration violated the terms their 1955 Treaty of Amity. Washington responded by pulling out of the treaty, a little-known agreement that was signed long before Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution that turned the two countries into arch enemies.

 

The ICJ, based in The Hague, in the Netherlands, is the United Nations’ venue for resolving disputes between nations.

 

There have been mounting concerns among U.S. allies about the Trump administration's commitment to multilateralism.

 

In the nearly two years since being elected, President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from a nuclear agreement between six powers and Iran, pulled out of a global climate accord, left the U.N. cultural agency, and threatened NATO military allies that the United States would "go its own way" if members did not spend more on defence.

 

Bolton, citing what he called "Iran's abuse of the ICJ," said the United States would also withdraw from the "optional protocol" under the 1961 Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations.

 

"We will commence a review of all international agreements that may still expose the United States to purported binding jurisdiction, dispute resolution in the International Court of Justice," Bolton said on Wednesday. "The United States will not sit idly by as baseless politicised claims are brought against us."

 

The decision to withdraw from the optional protocol follows a complaint brought by the Palestinians in September, which challenged Washington's decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

 

The Vienna Convention is an international treaty setting out diplomatic relations between states. It is often cited as a means to provide diplomatic immunity.

 

Earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States should have pulled out of the treaty of amity with Iran decades ago and said the ICJ it had no jurisdiction of sanctions that he said were essential to U.S. security interests.

 

The United States has adopted a hardline policy against Tehran, withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions.

 

"Today marked a useful point, with the decision that was made this morning from the ICJ, this marked a useful point for us to demonstrate the absolute absurdity of the Treaty of Amity between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said.

 

Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif criticized the U.S. withdrawal, saying on Twitter, "Outlaw regime."

 

In 2005, the Bush administration took issue with the ICJ after it ruled that the execution of a Mexican national in Texas breached U.S. obligations under international law.

 

The Palestinians argued that the U.S. government's placement of its embassy in Jerusalem violated an international treaty and that it should be moved.

 

"This really has less to do with Iran and the Palestinians than with the continued consistent policy of the United States to reject the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, which we think is politicised and ineffective," Bolton said.

 

"I'd like to stress," he added, "the United States remains a party to the underlying Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and we expect all other parties to abide by their international obligations under the convention."

 

Palestine was recognised by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 as a non-member observer state, though its statehood is not recognised by either Israel or the United States.

 

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Roberta Rampton in Washington and Stephanie van den Berg in The Hague Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London and Tim Ahmann; writing by Yara Bayoumy; editing by Susan Thomas and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-04

[spidermike007]

I personally slam the Trump administration and Bolt the Bully as belligerent and ineffective. Withdrawing from each and every Accord and agreement the US has ever signed, is simply making America less great and less relevant by the day. 

[Chomper Higgot]

China will be delighted.

[Esso49]

The decline of the US on the world stage has accelerated greatly in the last 2 years. Like all nations that take on the world they eventually fail to be superseded by another. US is now in permanent moral decline and will soon be economically inferior to China. 

[wwest5829]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

China will be delighted.

Why? Both China and the US have ignored the Court’s ruling when they have been, “inconvenient”.

[Tug]

It’s sad but take heart trump is an freak and he will soon go down in flames the trick is not to let him take us with him it will take more than that dude to ruin the spirit of my country

[Brunolem]

10 minutes ago, Tug said:

It’s sad but take heart trump is an freak and he will soon go down in flames 

Six years from now is not that soon...

 

Anyway, since the US is in withdrawing mode, why not withdraw its army from Afghanistan, Irak and the other countries where it is waging war overtly or covertly, why not withdraw its soldiers from the more than 150 countries where they are stationned, and finally why not withdraw from the dollar quasi monopoly in international trade and let the rest of the countries do business as they please?

 

The US doesn't want to be involved in multilateral accords, but is running unilateral policies by imposing sanctions and worse to any country who doesn't toe its line!

 

 

[DM07]

I never understood 'Murican exceptionalism!

I even less this shot at isolationism....

 

 

[VillageIdiot]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

It’s sad but take heart trump is an freak and he will soon go down in flames the trick is not to let him take us with him it will take more than that dude to ruin the spirit of my country

Trump is no "freak", he has immense support in the USA.

In a very real sense he is "...the spirit of my country."

[quandow]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

It’s sad but take heart trump is an freak and he will soon go down in flames the trick is not to let him take us with him it will take more than that dude to ruin the spirit of my country

Trump has merely been a distraction.
Read the book/article from this link. Check the sources, verify the facts. Prepare to be sick when you see what Murikkka has become:
http://library.aceondo.net/ebooks/HISTORY/The_Secret_History_of_the_American_Empire__Economic_Hit_Men__Jackals_and_the_Trut_20121130215629631.pdf

[quandow]

45 minutes ago, VillageIdiot said:

Trump is no "freak", he has immense support in the USA.

In a very real sense he is "...the spirit of my country."

Not true. He has an extremely stubborn following who deny facts in support of his poison, but they are a minority.

[milwaukeeboy]

You can start calling the US "isolationist" when they get their troops and noses out of the business of 150 other countries.

Everything isn't about the current administration.

[car720]

4 hours ago, Esso49 said:

The decline of the US on the world stage has accelerated greatly in the last 2 years. Like all nations that take on the world they eventually fail to be superseded by another. US is now in permanent moral decline and will soon be economically inferior to China. 

kharma is a bitch.

[car720]

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

No dollar, no world as we know it

If only it were that simple.  Remember we had the pound before the dollar and the franc before that.  The dollar is a relatively new thing contrived by our good friend Mr. Rothchild and his mob.  The Chinese have already opened a gold market to deal in oil.

[mcambl61]

4 hours ago, Esso49 said:

The decline of the US on the world stage has accelerated greatly in the last 2 years. Like all nations that take on the world they eventually fail to be superseded by another. US is now in permanent moral decline and will soon be economically inferior to China. 

in your opinion only

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The U.S. national security adviser John Bolton slammed the highest United Nations tribunal as "politicised and ineffective"

The Court relied on a Iran-US Amity Treaty as its legal basis (aka Rule of Law) for its ruling. So no, not politicalized. With regard to being ineffective, then why slam the ICJ?

 

In practice the ICJ has been fair and effective, albeit not always in the best interest in the US. 

• Consider the ICJ ruling regarding the US Embassy hostage situation.  It ruled that Iran violated Article II, Clause 4 of the treaty, which promises that “Nationals of either High Contracting Party shall receive the most constant protection and security within the territories of the other High Contracting Party.” The court returned a verdict of immediate freedom of the hostages, also referring to the Treaty of Amity.
• On the other hand take the ICJ ruling regarding the US attack on an Iranian passenger airliner that killed all 290 people on board. It ruled that the US violated Clause 2 of Article XXI of the treaty. Tehran and Washington ultimately settled the matter outside of court.

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-iran-still-friends-according-little-known-treaty-16524

But Trump's America is an imperialist nation as the Supreme World Leader cast from the image of Trump's egomaniac persona. Everything is transactional and only exists for the here and now.

 

[car720]

Decadency never ends well.  

[farcanell]

4 hours ago, VillageIdiot said:

Trump is no "freak", he has immense support in the USA.

In a very real sense he is "...the spirit of my country."

 

Yep... and if your correct, that’s the big issue that non muricans have with the USA, during this period of instability.

 

yall are supporting a freak of politics... freaks happen, sure... but generally they are laughed at ( people, hey?)... oh wait... the rest of the worlds leaders did laugh at the don.

[SOTIRIOS]

...meanwhile...if you don't comply with US demands.....you are a 'rogue state'.....???

 

....maybe we better change the definition....???

 

...jeez...

[Brunolem]

6 minutes ago, SOTIRIOS said:

...meanwhile...if you don't comply with US demands.....you are a 'rogue state'.....???

 

....maybe we better change the definition....???

 

...jeez...

Mafiosos don't like rebels.

 

While a local mafia is engaged in a local protection racket, that is a protection that you can't refuse, an all powerful state is engaged in a global protection racket.

 

Fittingly enough, this state is run by a don(ald)!

 

And those foolish enough to refuse or balk at the racket are punished accordingly.

 

A limited rebellion is met with crippling sanctions (the equivalent of a few broken glasses in traditional mafia style), and a full opposition can lead to the partial or complete destruction of the concerned country (the equivalent of broken limbs, or worse, in traditional mafia style).

 

[Nyezhov]

4 hours ago, car720 said:

If only it were that simple.  Remember we had the pound before the dollar and the franc before that.  The dollar is a relatively new thing contrived by our good friend Mr. Rothchild and his mob.  The Chinese have already opened a gold market to deal in oil.

And who is "Mr Rothschild's mob"?

[Joe Mcseismic]

6 hours ago, VillageIdiot said:

Trump is no "freak", he has immense support in the USA.

In a very real sense he is "...the spirit of my country."

 

Immense support? Most unpopular president in recent history.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/

[rosst]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I personally slam the Trump administration and Bolt the Bully as belligerent and ineffective. Withdrawing from each and every Accord and agreement the US has ever signed, is simply making America less great and less relevant by the day. 

My God, I wish my Australian country had the balls to tell the UN to go to hell and stick all its stupid rubbish where the monkey shoves its peanuts 

[Brunolem]

12 minutes ago, rosst said:

My God, I wish my Australian country had the balls to tell the UN to go to hell and stick all its stupid rubbish where the monkey shoves its peanuts 

Australia is the 11th or 12th aircraft carrier of the US fleet, with 20 million sailors onboard.

Its headquarters in Canberra gets its marching orders from Washington...

[rosst]

Just now, Brunolem said:

Australia is the 11th or 12th aircraft carrier of the US fleet, with 20 million sailors getting their marching orders from Washington...

Yes, that arse licking also angers me. 

[Nyezhov]

59 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Australia is the 11th or 12th aircraft carrier of the US fleet, with 20 million sailors onboard.

Its headquarters in Canberra gets its marching orders from Washington...

Well it isnt like Australia could hold off China by itself could it?

[mikebike]

40 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Well it isnt like Australia could hold off China by itself could it?

From doing what exactly?

[mikebike]

USA has always struck me as the world's perennial rebellious teenager. Full of pissandvinegar but not fully matured.

 

Fun to be around but not the decision-makers of choice in the group.

[Nyezhov]

1 minute ago, mikebike said:

From doing what exactly?

Umm.... from bombing the poop out of Sydney and Canberra and making you all speak Mandarin...sort of like the Japanese were planning. 

[Brunolem]

18 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Umm.... from bombing the poop out of Sydney and Canberra and making you all speak Mandarin...sort of like the Japanese were planning. 

When was the last time that China bombed a country which hadn't attacked her?