Power's Response

Last Thursday, Samantha Power visited Pomona College's campus to speak to the students and faculty. I had a chance to ask her the question I was grappling with in my last post about the difficulty between peace and accountability within Uganda. She spoke about the power of the International Criminal Court to serve as a deterrent. Yet for Ugandan civilians, the investigation by the ICC could mean sacrificing a potential peace. I asked her about this troubling decision and if the ICC withdrawing its investigation would undermine the legitimacy of the court. She responded by explaining that the power of the ICC is evident because Joseph Kony would not consider coming to the table to discuss peace if the ICC did not exist. The presence of the ICC and its potential indictment of Kony has catalyzed Kony's decision to talk peace. Thus, the ICC has demonstrated its significance and the power it can wield. Power also believes that Luis Moreno Ocampo prioritizes the victims and will be likely to abandon its investigation of Uganda in order to bring peace to the region. Power introduced this new perspective which takes a more positive outlook on this difficult choice between peace and accountability, yet abandoning the investigation would still set a scary precedent that war criminals can assume control and obtain immunity.