The Security Council’s referral of the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been hailed as a giant step in the history of international humanitarian law. It has also been criticised for applying double standards by exempting the United States from the ICC’s jurisdiction, reports the International Justice Tribune, an newsletter on international criminal justice. "Washington had little choice but to vote [by abstention] for the referral as it was one of the first countries to label the violence in Darfur ‘genocide’. Had the US taken a principled stance against ICC jurisdiction over Sudan, it might have found itself branded an accomplice to genocide. In the end, America turned this delicate situation to its advantage."