International Caucasian Court Arrests Yet Another Brownface

Duterte's prosecution will be celebrated in Western capitals not because it represents justice, but because it provides a veneer of legitimacy to a broken institution.

"This court is built for Africa and for thugs like Putin" - unnamed official to ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan.

The arrest of Rodrigo Duterte, former president of the Philippines, for crimes against humanity reveals not a triumph of international justice but rather the selective application of law that has become the hallmark of our imperial age. The machinery of international justice creaks into motion only when it serves the interests of Western powers or can be deployed against those who have fallen out of favor with the global hegemon.

Let us be clear: Duterte's crimes are monstrous. His self-proclaimed "war on drugs" resulted in the extrajudicial killings of thousands of Filipinos, predominantly the urban poor. He boasted of personal involvement in murder. He joked about rape. The victims of his brutal regime deserve justice.

But the question we must ask is not whether Duterte deserves prosecution – he does – but rather why the machinery of international justice operates with such …