The elections held by the United States have a global impact, but neither Republican Donald Trump nor Democrat Kamala Harris will end Israel‘s offensive against Gaza because the United States supports war to manage conflicts, maintains Luis Moreno Ocampo, founder of the Court International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Neither the Democrats nor Trump are going to end the wars. Neither of them,” says Moreno Ocampo in a telephone interview with Efe during his visit to Spain to present his book ‘War or Justice’.
“Thomas Jefferson, who is one of the founding fathers of the United States, said ‘eternal war on tyranny’, he did not say global justice. And Barack Obama receives the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 and proposes humanitarian wars, which are wars of aggression,” he recalls. “Democrats, in their international policy, believe in war for historical reasons.”
“So, we have a problem. In the United States, the idea that war is the way to manage conflicts is very prevalent,” continues the 72-year-old Argentine lawyer.
Model
“An analysis of Gaza, Ukraine and Armenia are examples of a model of managing conflicts through wars that has no future, it is ‘Fortnite’, it is the idea that I kill others and I am left alone,” he denounces.
The United States, he continues, “tells Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) not to do things, but then protects him in the International Criminal Court and in the Security Council.”
However, the former ICC prosecutor admits, some progress has been made, although slowly, because two decades ago the United States did not want to recognize the authority of the ICC, now it sends documentation to protect the Israeli leader.
But the American idea of conflict, according to Moreno Ocampo, extends: “How can it be that the largest country in the world proposes a war with China as a future? This is Fortnite. There is no future,” he denounces.
The Argentine lawyer is also very critical of Europe’s role in the wars of Russia against Ukraine and of Israel against Palestine.
“The German Green Party supporting the war is absurd. Finland, spending billions that it previously dedicated to education, now spends it on weapons, it is absurd,” he insists.
Proposed agreement
“China proposed a peace agreement that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty. Why doesn’t Europe ally with China in Ukraine? And why does it ally with the United States in a model in which people die all the time?” he asks. .
Europe, capable of building an integration model like the European Union and creating the International Criminal Court, “must continue and invent a system of International Justice against terrorism and that is something totally necessary, easy to do,” he assures.
Moreno Ocampo defends a “global alliance against terrorism” that, among other actions, can investigate and block funds intended to finance terrorist organizations.
“The international system is controlled by controlling the funds and they are not doing that with Hamas,” says the former prosecutor, convinced that European leaders have no real will to stop the war, but citizens can mobilize and force a change.
Get out of the spiral
The key is “how to get out of this spiral of violence” and the answer lies in the popular will, according to Moreno Ocampo, who was also deputy prosecutor in the first trial held against the Argentine dictatorship, in 1985.
In “War or Justice” he analyzes some of the main current war conflicts with the conviction that “if we do not change we have no future as humanity.”
Madrid / EFE
#Moreno #Ocampo #Harris #Trump #war
**Interview with Luis Moreno Ocampo, Founder of the International Criminal Court**
**Interviewer:** Luis, thank you for joining us today. You’ve recently shared some strong opinions regarding U.S. foreign policy and its impact on conflicts like the current situation in Gaza. Can you explain your stance?
**Luis Moreno Ocampo:** Thank you for having me. My view is that neither political party in the U.S.—be it Republican or Democrat—will fundamentally change the approach towards Israel’s actions in Gaza. The U.S. has a long-standing tradition of using war as a means to manage conflict, a mindset that permeates their foreign policy.
**Interviewer:** You reference historical figures like Thomas Jefferson and Barack Obama in your arguments. How do their views contribute to your perspective?
**Luis Moreno Ocampo:** Jefferson’s notion of an “eternal war on tyranny” illustrates the deep-rooted belief in using military force. Obama, despite winning a Nobel Peace Prize, adopted policies that involved “humanitarian wars,” which essentially are wars of aggression. This historical context shows that the U.S. has framed conflict management almost exclusively through warfare.
**Interviewer:** That’s a compelling point. You also mention that this ideology extends to conflicts outside of the Middle East, like Ukraine and Armenia. Can you elaborate on that?
**Luis Moreno Ocampo:** Absolutely. These situations reflect a broader trend of resolving disputes through military engagement, which I equate to a video game mentality—what I refer to as ‘Fortnite’. The idea is that by eliminating the ‘enemy,’ one somehow emerges victorious without understanding the long-term consequences. This approach lacks any sustainable vision for peace.
**Interviewer:** You make an interesting observation about the U.S.’s relationship with Israel and the International Criminal Court (ICC). Can you explain that dynamic?
**Luis Moreno Ocampo:** The U.S. has historically shielded Israel, even at the ICC level. While they may issue warnings to leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu, they simultaneously provide protection against accountability. Progress has been slow; I see a shift in that the U.S. is now willing to engage with the ICC on some level, but it’s still very much about maintaining power dynamics rather than pursuing justice.
**Interviewer:** Where do you see hope for change in these entrenched systems of conflict?
**Luis Moreno Ocampo:** Change is possible but requires a paradigm shift—from viewing war as a means of resolving issues to seeing diplomacy and global justice as viable alternatives. The challenge lies in altering longstanding beliefs within powerful nations that seek to control outcomes through military means. Some progress is being made, albeit slowly, and public consciousness could play a pivotal role in fostering a climate for peace.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for your insights, Luis. Your perspectives certainly challenge us to think critically about the current global climate and the role of power in shaping conflicts.
**Luis Moreno Ocampo:** Thank you for the opportunity to discuss these urgent issues. It’s crucial to keep the conversation going.
