The Foreign Service Journal, January 2003

half of what a man may inherit. In court, the testimony of two women is required to equal that of one man. Until women are elevated to a status equal to that of men, Muslim countries will continue to underutilize half of their human capital. In summary, for Muslims to per- sist in considering themselves his- torical victims of the West not only perpetuates a false view of history, but also diverts them from imple- menting reforms within Islamic cul- ture necessary for the institutional- ization of modernization and devel- opment. William H. Barkell FSO, retired Arlington, Va. Support for the ICC The excellent “Cybernotes” piece on the International Criminal Court in the September 2002 issue of the FSJ can now be supplement- ed with the news that the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties met suc- cessfully at the United Nations in September. This completed the birth of the court, which has juris- diction over cases occurring after July 3. The assembly began the process of electing judges and hiring senior staff. An advance team is at work in the court’s building in the Hague to prepare for its full opera- tion beginning in March 2003. I am the convener for the American NGO Coalition for the ICC, which supports nationwide education about and promotion of the court. We have a comprehensive Web site at www.amicc.org, of fering extensive material about the ICC, including the U.S. position on it. I would also note that the ICC has its own Web site: www.icc.int. John Washburn FSO, retired New York, N.Y. J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 11 L E T T E R S