Thread

Netherlands bracing for potentially devastating US sanctions against the ICC

143 points · 131 comments · vrganj

gspr · 1790157090 · focus · HN ↗
It's better that they rip the badaid off like this. The EU cannot stand by if all of the ICC is hit. It's gonna be painful for all of us in Europe for a little while, but this is far better than letting any more single individuals have their lives ruined for doing their (legal!) jobs for European institutions. This has already happened too many times, and is truly shameful – let this conflict rage for real now, so that it's a burden we all have to bear together!
1. surgical_fire · 1790158560 · focus · HN ↗
  The problem is that the EU is not a country, it is a bloc. Each member state is a sovereign nation.
  It is up to each member state to decide how to respond to an increasingly hostile US.
  Which is why foreign actors such as US and Russia always seem to undermine the EU and foment dissent in the bloc. A unified Europe would be much harder to push around.
  1. Zigurd · 1790169945 · focus · HN ↗
    That is a problem, for the EU, from a perspective of power and effectiveness. The problem for the US is, in part, due to the concentration of power in the presidency, for foreign affairs.
    If the US chooses someone sane next time, reestablishing institutional power, and diffusing power to avoid chaos in the future, will have to be part of the plan.

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