The arrest on Tuesday of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, by police acting on an International Criminal Court warrant tied to his deadly war on drugs, marks a success for the ICC, which has been struggling for almost 23 years against a lack of recognition and enforcement power.Backed by 125 member states, the jurisdiction seeks to prosecute individuals responsible for the world’s gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.  The wheels of international justice grind slowly, as evidenced by the court’s low conviction rate.However, it’s not all about the final judgement, experts say. The mere fact of pursuing alleged perpetrators of atrocities sends a message that the international community is determined to fight impunity.- Catch me if you can -Since it began work in 2002, the ICC has opened 32 cases for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and offences against the administration of justice. Fourteen of them, or roughly 40 percent, are ongoing, in most cases because the suspects are still at large. Without a police force, the Hague-based court is unlikely to catch them soon. Of the 60 arrest warrants issued since 2002, only 21 had been carried out before Duterte’s arrest.The ICC relies on states to apprehend suspects.But the incentive for them to cooperate is low because the court has “nothing to offer in return, except a commitment to seeing justice served”, former ICC adviser Pascal Turlan said.  The court’s wanted list includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. All three are accused of war crimes.Russia is one of dozens of nations, including the United States, Israel and China, that do not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC, hampering its ability to investigate their nationals.But some member states also defy its authority by, for instance, refusing to hand over suspects.”When states don’t like what the ICC does, they don’t often cooperate,” said Nancy Combs, professor of law at William & Mary Law School in the United States. – 11 convictions, all Africans -ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah stressed that the court’s role is not to go after all suspected war criminals but to “encourage nations to deal with their own cases”.Each case comes with a unique set of challenges, from interference by national governments to witness intimidation.The latter caused the case against Kenya’s former deputy president William Ruto to fall apart in 2016, according to a former chief prosecutor.These challenges partly explain the court’s low conviction rate.Since its inception it has handed down 11 guilty verdicts, mostly against officials from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and four acquittals.All those judged were Africans, leading to accusations that the ICC is unfairly targeting the continent.Combs pointed out that some African countries, including Uganda, Ivory Coast and the DRC, had referred their own wars to the court for investigation in the early days, while other cases had been instigated by the United Nations Security Council.”The ICC has diversified a lot but non-African states have resisted ICC jurisdiction more fiercely,” she pointed out, citing Russia as an example.

The Dalai Lama published a book Tuesday that he says is a “framework for the future of Tibet”, to guide compatriots in relations with Beijing after his death.China — which says Tibet is an integral part of the country — has responded by saying the Dalai Lama “has no right to represent the Tibetan people”.Many exiled Tibetans fear Beijing will name a successor to the Dalai Lama when he dies, bolstering control over a land it poured troops into in 1950.The book, “Voice for the Voiceless”, describes the Dalai Lama dealing with successive leaders of the People’s Republic of China on behalf of Tibet and its people.”The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression,” the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader writes.”One clear lesson we know from history is this: If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society.”Asked about the book at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry dismissed the Dalai Lama as “a political exile who is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion”.The Dalai Lama’s lineage, status and title “have been determined by the central government for hundreds of years”, spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters. “The reincarnations of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, should abide by national laws and regulations, follow religious rituals… (and be subject to) the approval of the central government”, she added.- ‘Persistent efforts’ -Over centuries, Tibet has alternated between independence and being controlled by China, which says it “peacefully liberated” the rugged plateau and brought infrastructure and education.Celebrating his 90th birthday in July, the Dalai Lama is among a fading few who can remember what their homeland was like before the failed 1959 uprising.He fled to India that year, and said the book details the “persistent efforts” he has made to over seven decades to “save my homeland and people”.”Tibetans have spent nearly 75 years fighting for freedom,” he wrote in the Washington Post this month, ahead of the book’s publication. “Their struggle should continue beyond my lifetime.”Talks between Beijing and Tibetan leaders have been frozen since 2010.”Despite all the suffering and destruction, we still hold fast to the hope for a peaceful resolution of our struggle for freedom and dignity,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement about the book.”From a 19-year-old negotiating with Chairman Mao at the height of his powers in Beijing to my recent attempts to communicate with President Xi Jinping, I convey in this book the sincerity of our efforts.”My hope is that the book will… provide a framework for the future of Tibet even after I am gone.” The Dalai Lama stepped down as his people’s political head in 2011, passing the baton of secular power to a government chosen democratically by about 130,000 Tibetans around the world.Penpa Tsering, the sikyong or head of that government, has said it does not seek full independence for Tibet, but rather to pursue a long-standing “Middle Way” policy seeking greater autonomy.China calls the India-based Tibetan administration a “puppet government”.But the Dalai Lama said any resolution had to involve talks in which each side can talk openly.”One thing is for sure: no totalitarian regime, whether headed by an individual or a party, can last forever, because they abuse the very people they claim to speak for,” he adds.