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ICL may be a normative good (like "human rights"). But it isn't really law. There's no significant force behind it and participation is voluntary.

Compare that to the law of a sovereign state.

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Yes participation is voluntary but refusing to participate does show the true face of the state. Only really bad actors refuse to work together for the greater good. Even some normally seen as bad actors do participate so it is truly telling when a country refuse. Not that it makes much difference but one can hope sanctions will be agreed upon against those who refuse - or more political correct: bonuses for those that participate.

The US is not part of the ICC and Americans aren't losing any sleep over that.

Yes. Bad actors. The EU should add a bad actor tax.

And even the geneva conventions etc. to which the US is a signatory are so ignored that they don't even bother coming up with rhetorical excuses anymore

The US even preemptively passed a law authorizing the use of "all means necessary" (read military force) to prevent americans (read Henry Kissinger) from being tried at the ICC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Service-Members'_Prot...

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