Europeans dismayed by US go-it-alone approach to justice

American disdain for the new International Criminal Court and the prospect of executions of terrorists after military trials are beginning to strain the alliance between Europe and the United States. European diplomats hoped that after the terrorist attacks in the United States in September 2001 the US would abandon its unilateralist stance on a range of issues and shift towards multilateralism, particularly in the fight against terrorism. Diplomats now believe the US administration has little interest in multilateralism.