Arrest warrant: does it matter?

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, accusing him of crimes against humanity. The court charged Gaddafi with orchestrating the killing and imprisonment of hundreds of civilians during the early days of the uprising against his regime. The court also ordered the arrest of one of Gaddafis sons, Saif al-Islam, and his intelligence chief. But the ICC has no police force to make the arrests. Will the warrants make any difference? No. The war will go on as before: The Hague-based court can issue all of the warrants and indictments it wants, says Max Fisher at The Atlantic, but it has no hope of making an arrest in this case as long as Gaddafi clings to power. The court indicted Sudans President Omar al-Bashir in 2009, and hes still in office. At best, this will serve as another bargaining chip in any negotiations over ending Libyas civil war, as immunity is an added incentive for Gaddafi to step down. Will ICC arrest warrants for Gaddafi make any difference? If anything, this makes Gaddafi more dangerous: The arrest warrant tightens and legitimises the noose around Gaddafis neck, says Simon Tisdall at Britains Guardian. That sort of pressure certainly wont hasten his removal from power. If anything, it could make things harder for Libyas rebels, because the courts demarche may reinforce Gaddafis determination to stay and fight to the bitter end. This arrest warrant could make Gaddafi more dangerous Actually, this is the first step toward justice: Theres no way to make Gaddafi stand trial without capturing him first, says Mark Leon Goldberg at UN Dispatch, and that seems unlikely to happen anytime soon. But at least now all the documentation is in place, so if he is ever captured alive, there is a jail cell far away with his name on it. ICC arrest warrant offers details of Gaddafis apparatus to kill and torture dissidents Best Opinion: Atlantic, Guardian, UN Dispatch The Week