UMass Lowell International Security, Foreign Policy Expert Available for Comment
03/17/2023
Media Contacts: Emily Gowdey-Backus, director of media relations and Nancy Cicco, assistant director of media relations
A move Friday by the International Criminal Court – issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin – is not as consequential as it may seem, according to UMass Lowell international relations Associate Professor Jarrod Hayes.
“The impact isn’t very direct,” he explained. “Domestically, the ICC warrant doesn’t matter to Putin. Internationally, he won’t receive more condemnation than he has already.”
The difference, said Hayes, will be made in the margins – “states that vest the ICC with a degree of legitimacy.”
An arrest of Putin “is not a foregone conclusion,” he said. “Many states view the ICC as a pawn of Europe or the West and will see the warrant in that light. However, it does make it harder for wavering or ‘neutral’ countries to justify their position.”
Apprehending the international figure who has been alleged of war crimes – including the deportation of Ukrainian children – would not be easy. In the future, “if Putin were to travel to any signatory of the ICC’s Rome Statute, that country would be obligated to arrest him,” explained Hayes. “Although, in practice, this would be difficult.”
For example, focusing his perspective to the United States, Hayes added, “the U.S. is not a signatory to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC and therefore has no obligation to arrest him should Putin travel to the country for some reason.”
To arrange an interview with Hayes, whose research focuses on international security, foreign policy and global environmental politics, contact Emily Gowdey-Backus or Nancy Cicco.