The thin end of the slippery slope

July 17, 2026

I guess Greg Barns realises that from now on – at least until the US renounces this deluded project – that, because of his article, he will be liable to arrest should he ever visit New York, for instance to attend the UN General Assembly. But maybe this latest dictat is preparing us for what is to come next? Is the UN the next international institution to be told it is the US’ enemy? Then New York will no longer be where the UN resides! But by then we might have to expect the equivalent of ICE agents roaming the streets of our own cities.

In the darkness promulgated by this attack on the ICC, the Australian Government’s reply should be clear – as it should have been when, before the January 2025 inauguration, Panama, Canada and Greenland were targeted by Trump’s deluded Anschluss announcements. Now there is all the more reason to suspend involvement in AUKUS pending US revocation of the US Secretary of State’s announcement that those who maintain adherence to the Rome Statute are at war with the US. This statement effectively redefines the alliance and defence needs of (former) US allies.