A Rationalist View of Rome Statute Ratification in the Pacific Region

Abstract

This article contributes to the literature on why states in the Pacific region might or might not ratify or accede to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Statute by looking at what factors may influence the ratification decisions of Pacific island states. It argues that geography, geopolitics, and certain ICC Statute structures might all play a role in influencing a state's decision to ratify or not to ratify the ICC Statute. These effects are discussed separately: attention is firstly given to the intrinsic influence of geographic isolation as determinative in the ratification decision function; thereafter, extrinsic issues, such as geopolitics and treaty structures, are posited as also playing a role in this decision. Accordingly, ratification decisions for Pacific island states are said to be the confluence of a number of determining factors that have specific relevance to those states.