The International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 1998 (Thayer and Ibryamova 2010), is responsible for investigating and prosecuting the most extreme cases, including including crimes against humanity, aggressive crimes, war crimes and genocide. The credibility of this institution, however, has been compromised due to the withdrawal of US support and membership. As a first step, it is important to recognize the arguments against US membership in the ICC and what prompted the United States to withdraw its signature from the document that established the Court. Once this is established, the case for ICC membership will be developed by addressing and refuting these objections. Finally, this analysis will provide evidence of how United States membership in the International Criminal Court will increase the effectiveness and integrity of the International Criminal Court. A view opposed to the union of the United States and the International Criminal Court is the concern for sovereignty. Those who support the United States' decision to revoke its signature on the Rome Statute argue that by joining the ICC, American sovereignty would be threatened because the country would be forced to answer to a higher court. In line with this, many members of the opposition believe it is necessary to create legislation that protects Americans from the ICC and allows the United States to retain its sovereignty. Therefore, the international community has expressed outrage over the actions of the United States to combat the authority of the International Criminal Court. As a world leader with one of the most sophisticated and respected judicial systems, these types of actions present the United States as appearing indifferent to the plight of human rights in the middle of a newspaper international. Relations (New York: Longman). Elsea, Jennifer (2006), “US Policy Concerning the International Criminal Court,” in CRS Report for Congess (Washington DC; Library of Congress), 4. Bogdan, Attila (2008), “The United States and the Criminal Court international: avoiding jurisdiction through bilateral agreements relying on Article 98", International Criminal Law Review, 8(1-2), 5. Barnett, Laura (2008), "The International Criminal Court: history and role”, Library of Parliament, 2(11), 12. Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2010), “Constrained Internationalism: Adapting to New Realities”, [http://www.amicc.org/docs/Chicago_Council_Global_Views_2010.pdf] , accessed April 9, 2012. American Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations for the International Criminal Court (2012), “US and ICC Info,” [http://www.amicc.org/info], accessed April 9 2012.