Putin Copies U.S. Playbook: Ignores Laws He Doesn't Like
Vladimir Putin has signed a law allowing Russia to sidestep rulings from international courts, particularly the ICC, which has an arrest warrant for him. The mainstream press frames this as unique Russian defiance. Yet, they conveniently forget the United States has had the 'Hague Invasion Act' on its books since 2002 , authorizing military force to free any U.S. personnel held by the ICC.
(Because sovereignty, unless it's in Iraq or Afghanistan, right?) So while Russia's move is certainly a brazen act of defiance, the U.S. practically wrote the blueprint for ignoring international accountability when politically inconvenient. Perhaps Putin just finally hired some American legal advisors.