“Sanctioning” is a contronym, also called a Janus word or auto-antonym — that is a word having two contrary meanings. It means both “approving” and “penalising”. If we say that Donald Trump is “sanctioning” war crimes — denying Putin’s aggression against Ukraine or threatening the theft of Gaza — we mean he approves the war crimes. However, if we say that the Nuremberg Tribunal or the International Criminal Court is “sanctioning” war crimes — whether the Nazi war of aggression against its neighbours and its crimes against humanity or Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression and crimes against humanity — we mean they are prosecuting and punishing the war criminals.
I wonder what would happen if the US Senate were asked to give its advice and consent to a treaty “sanctioning” (in the Trumpian sense) war crimes? Wouldn’t it be preferable for the House of Representatives to impeach, to indict, Trump for the “high crime” of sanctioning war crimes, and allow the Senate to sanction him, by removing him from office?
Jim Linford
San Rafael, CA, US