The United States is currently facing accusations of applying international law selectively, according to a report from the South China Morning Post. The critique centers on two distinct foreign policy actions taken by Washington. First, the U.S. has expressed strong opposition to the International Criminal Court (ICC), characterizing the institution as a threat to American sovereignty. This stance suggests a rejection of the court's jurisdiction over U.S. interests.

Conversely, the U.S. recently led a coalition of 14 nations in a joint statement affirming the validity of a decade-old arbitration ruling regarding the South China Sea. This ruling, based on international maritime law, is used by the U.S. to challenge territorial claims in the region. Critics argue that these two positions are fundamentally contradictory: the U.S. appears to reject international judicial oversight when it pertains to its own actions or those of its allies, while actively promoting the enforcement of international legal rulings when they align with its geopolitical objectives in the Pacific. The report frames this as a form of 'hegemony' that allows the U.S. to operate under different rules than those it expects other nations to follow.