Measuring Acceptance of International Enforcement of Human Rights: The United States, Asia, and the International Criminal Court

Developing normative indicators to measure governments’ consent to, compliance with, and promotion of international laws prohibiting genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other norms constituting the International Criminal Court (ICC) demonstrates that it is possible to calibrate variation in state conduct over time and to compare one state to another. The indicators make compliance more visible and amenable, both to encouragement by nongovernmental organizations and states, and to enforcement by the ICC. They show that legalization of these norms is currently progressing. Tracing the stances of selected states demonstrates the empirical and theoretical utility of the indicators.