At some point in time, we are all reminded that legal documents are just peices of paper, and hold only the power that people give them. Almost any document becomes mute if it is not valued and respected by those to which it pertains, be it a marraige liscense or an arrest warrant for war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court.
To general public perception, something as significant as an arrest warrant from an institution that's name alone sounds solid and formidable, would be a frightening and terrifying thing. This is not the case for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. The only active leader to have a warrent issused for him by the ICC, he seemingly scoffs at the warrant and is continuing to make public appearances and dignitary trips to other countaries.
He refuses to recognize the ICC as any valid form of leadership, and since ICC really has no power as an organization but must rely on members to enact or enforce any decrees, he may have a point. He has in essence said "Your silly documents have no power over me." The ICC requests for members to arrest him, but since the countries he is visiting are not members, their response is " You have no power over us, or him either. Besides, we think you are wrong. So Nah." It is in this manner that a man that could very well be guilty of ordering vile atrocities against humanity is not being brought forward for accountability for his actions, and the suffering is allowed to continue. If only Sudan had oil......
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/21/sudan.president/index.html
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