Rubio attacks International Criminal Court in speech
US secretary says international law limits American power.
Follow-up to: ICC limits Afghanistan investigation to Taliban crimes Saturday, 14 November 2026, 00:02
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attacked the International Criminal Court (ICC) during a speech in Washington on Friday. He accused the court of using international law against countries that do not recognise the United States.
Rubio spoke at the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organisation. According to Reuters, he argued for a stronger foreign policy and opposed international rules that he said could restrict US actions.
In a speech summarised by AFP, Rubio warned the Court against what he called the ‘weaponisation’ of international law. He said the court was trying to enforce rules that Washington does not recognise. The US government is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty on which the ICC is based, and does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction.
The attack comes shortly after ICC judges ended part of the Afghanistan investigation. The case that could have involved US military personnel was dropped, according to the Associated Press; the same news agency said the investigation into possible crimes by the Taliban would continue. The prosecutor’s office has appealed the decision.
The Afghanistan investigation had previously covered possible crimes by Afghan government forces, the Taliban, US military personnel and other parties involved. The court has also issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders in connection with the war in Gaza. According to the same news agency, Israel and the politicians concerned have rejected the allegations.
Rubio has previously threatened to dismantle the ICC. According to AP, he said the court should be torn down ‘stone by stone’. The new speech suggests that US criticism concerns not only individual cases, but also whether an international court may exercise jurisdiction over countries that have not joined the treaty.
The subject is directly relevant to the Netherlands because the ICC is based in The Hague. The conflict therefore affects not only relations between Washington and the court, but also the broader debate about international justice, state sovereignty and the protection of victims of war crimes. The impact on the court’s day-to-day work cannot yet be determined on the basis of this speech.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Rubio criticised the ICC and international legal rules in a speech on 13 November 2026.
- The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute.
- The ICC has ended part of the Afghanistan investigation; the investigation into possible crimes by the Taliban is continuing.
- The ICC prosecutor has appealed the decision.
Left
Arguments International courts are needed to hold powerful states and military leaders to account when national legal systems fail to do so. From this perspective, US pressure on the ICC could weaken the protection of victims and the international rule of law.
Values Equality before the law, human rights and international cooperation.
Consequences Reduced US support could politically and financially isolate the court and encourage other countries likewise to evade international justice.
Centre
Arguments The ICC must be able to operate independently, but its jurisdiction must clearly comply with the Rome Statute and the principle of fair proceedings. Criticism of individual decisions can be legitimate without rejecting the court as a whole.
Values The rule of law, institutional diligence and predictable rules.
Consequences A workable middle ground requires legal review, transparency and diplomatic agreements between the court and countries that are not parties.
Right
Arguments From this perspective, an international court must not claim jurisdiction over US citizens or military personnel without Washington’s consent. National governments must ultimately decide for themselves on military and foreign policy.
Values National sovereignty, democratic control and protection of domestic jurisdiction.
Consequences Limiting the ICC’s influence could give states more room to manoeuvre, but would also reduce the ability to investigate cross-border crimes independently.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is confirmed by AFP and Reuters. The context surrounding the Afghanistan investigation and the US position towards the ICC is confirmed by the Associated Press.
- confirmed Marco Rubio attacked the International Criminal Court during a speech on 13 November 2026. — AFP and Reuters describe the speech in Washington. source
- confirmed The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute and does not recognise the ICC’s jurisdiction. — The Associated Press mentions both points in the context of the Afghanistan investigation. source
- confirmed The ICC ended the part of the Afghanistan investigation that could affect US military personnel. — The Associated Press refers to the court documents released on Friday. source
- confirmed The prosecutor’s office has appealed the decision. — This is explicitly reported by the Associated Press. source
- confirmed The ICC is based in The Hague. — The sources describe the court as the tribunal based in The Hague. source
Editor's note
It is certain that Rubio gave the speech and attacked the ICC. The precise consequences for the court and US cooperation remain uncertain; the ICC has partly rolled back the Afghanistan decision, but the prosecutor’s appeal is still pending.Sources
The story so far
- Saturday, 14 November 2026, 00:02 ICC limits Afghanistan investigation to Taliban crimes
- Saturday, 14 November 2026, 07:02 Rubio attacks International Criminal Court in speech (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „internationaal strafhof”
- Trouw — „internationaal strafhof”
- NRC — „internationaal strafhof”