News

Who Are the Rogues, and Who Are Not?

By Gus Tyler August 22, 2003

The United States is suspending military aid to 35 countries because they refuse to grant immunity to American citizens under the International Criminal Code. The basis for this unusual action is a provision of our anti-terrorism law that calls upon our government to withhold all military aid to any country that joined the International Criminal Court but did not grant an exemption for American personnel.

The obvious question is why, if America gets an exemption, should not other countries also get the same? The implied answer is not that we are good folk who can be trusted but that other nations are “rogues” who cannot be trusted.

Indeed, these rogues may actually use the court to pounce on Uncle Sam. Here’s the way Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr., assistant secretary of state for political military affairs, put it: “It is our concern that there could be politically motivated charges against American citizens.”

In other words, some “rogue” states could gang up on us and use the court to go after American citizens.

As we puzzled over this daunting dilemma, it occurred to us to consult a lifelong friend.* “Who,” we asked, “are the rogues, and who are not?” He said he could help with a few words stated in the majestic style of this poignant poem.

Please tell us now who is a rogue

At least the ones right now in vogue.

The faithless false-faced phony French

With whom we once did share a trench?

Those haughty, bumbling, fumbling Brits

Because they say that Blair’s the pits?

Or can it be the Czechs or Slavs

Because we treat them like they’re slobs?

Or could it be Korea North,

Whose bomb we say may not come forth?

Perhaps it is Arabia

That has a different savior.

Or maybe it is China red

Who won’t lay down and play it’s dead.

Or even our dear Mexico

Who now unto our call says, “No”

And don’t forget our foe Iran

Who once our favorite shah did ban.

They all emit a stinking scent

We won’t give them a single cent.

We’ll save those many bucks and then

We’ll cut the taxes once again.

* Please note that this columnist’s lifelong friend is a bit of a “rogue” himself. His name is “Alter Ego.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO