Fabula

International Criminal Court (ICC)

Description

Admiral Fitzwallace warns Leo that proof of U.S. military cover-up in the Qumar missing-plane incident—dismantled emergency locator transmitters, scattered wreckage, SEAL team involvement—exposes President Bartlet to war-crimes prosecution at this international tribunal in The Hague. Leo downplays the risk and opposes U.S. support for such courts, highlighting tensions between national security and global legal accountability.

Event Involvements

Events with structured involvement data

2 events
S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I
Rolling Pins and The Hague: Local Optics Meet International Exposure

The International Criminal Court (represented here conceptually by 'The Hague') is invoked as the legal body that could pursue war-crimes charges if evidence emerges; it functions as the principal external check on executive action in the scene's moral calculus.

Active Representation

Manifested through the threat of invitation/prosecution described by Fitzwallace rather than direct institutional action in the scene.

Power Dynamics

Exerts juridical authority over alleged war crimes, challenging the unilateral prerogatives of national executives; occupies an adversarial stance to the administration's secrecy.

Institutional Impact

The mere invocation of the ICC reframes military secrecy as potentially criminal, forcing political actors to consider legal exposure beyond domestic politics.

Internal Dynamics

Not depicted on-screen; implied independence and potential friction with U.S. refusal to cede jurisdiction.

Organizational Goals
Investigate and prosecute potential international crimes Enforce international legal norms irrespective of national politics
Influence Mechanisms
Legal jurisdiction and prosecutorial power International legitimacy and public subpoenas/requests
S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I
Fitzwallace's Hague Warning

The International Criminal Court (The Hague) is invoked as the juridical institution that could summon the President if incontrovertible evidence of a war‑crimes cover-up emerged; it provides the legal horizon that makes the military revelation politically existential.

Active Representation

Represented as a prospective prosecutorial body referenced in Fitzwallace's warning.

Power Dynamics

Situated as an external check on national power; potentially disempowering for the Presidency if international law is invoked.

Institutional Impact

Functions as the external moral-legal constraint that reframes covert military action as potentially criminal, forcing political actors to weigh legal exposure versus security claims.

Internal Dynamics

Not engaged directly on-screen; functions as a looming institutional adversary rather than an active participant.

Organizational Goals
Uphold international legal standards and pursue accountability for war crimes (theoretical). Act on admissible evidence to seek judicial redress for international crimes (theoretical).
Influence Mechanisms
International legal authority and prosecutorial mandate Normative pressure on nations through treaty obligations and global consensus Reputational leverage that can compel political consequences even without direct prosecution