Nuremberg has never fulfilled its brightest promise -- a permanent international tribunal for war crimes. Various efforts have been made in the ensuing half century, but all have languished. Only recently, with the establishment of the U.N.'s International Criminal Tribunal that is addressing war crimes in the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, have the ideals set at Nuremberg taken a tangible form.
The final business of Nuremberg remains unfinished
George W. Bush is adamantly opposed the the International Criminal Court (though to be fair, the first vote against it occurred during Clinton's administration). However, it gets worse:
In an unprecedented diplomatic maneuver on 6 May, the Bush administration effectively withdrew the U.S. signature on the treaty. At the time, the Ambassador-at-large for War Crimes Issues Pierre-Richard Prosper stated that the administration was "not going to war" with the Court. This has proved false; the renunciation of the treaty has paved the way for a comprehensive U.S. campaign to undermine the ICC.
In addition:
...the Bush administration negotiated a Security Council resolution to provide an exemption for U.S. personnel operating in U.N. peacekeeping operations.
...the Bush administration is requesting states around the world to approve bilateral agreements requiring them not to surrender American nationals to the ICC. The goal of these agreements ("impunity agreements" or so-called "Article 98 agreements") is to exempt U.S. nationals from ICC jurisdiction. They also lead to a two-tiered rule of law for the most serious international crimes: one that applies to U.S. nationals; another that applies to the rest of the world's citizens.
Through thick and thin, Americans have always felt that our civilization was the rule of law. With George W. Bush, Condelezza Rice, and Alberto Gonzales, this rule has been fractured beyound repair. The Spirt of Nuremberg has been water-boarded.
Phoey!
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