Who's Afraid Of International Law?

Treaties are common sense tools that get things done. They make international air travel safe and ensure global mail and phone communications work. They outlaw deadly weapons and ozone-destroying chemicals. Treaties fight illegal drugs, and promote basic values such as ending child labor or the use of child soldiers. The Chemical Weapons Convention, ratified in 1997, is helping to eliminate Syrian chemical weapons. However, the Senate has fallen victim to several groups who are fearful of international law as something "foreign" and "unAmerican" despite many treaties being based on U.S. experience and law. These groups undermine the U.S.’s influence on global problem solving and put our nation in an uncomfortable and often embarrassing situation. For example, the U.S. is the only nation in the world with a functioning government that has not ratified the Rights of the Child Convention and is one of only seven nations, including Iran, Sudan, and Somalia that has not adopted the Women’s Equality Treaty (CEDAW).