Suppose we grant the ICC every legal point it claims for itself. Harder questions remain. Is it a neutral referee standing above politics, or a political actor with interests of its own? Why did its first fourteen years of investigations all land on one continent? Why do warrants against the powerful gather dust while the machinery worked flawlessly in Manila? And why did cooperation arrive at the exact moment the court’s targets became the administration’s rivals? Part 4 puts the court itself on trial, using political science. The full scholarly paper behind this seven part series, with complete legal citations and academic analysis, is available for download at the end of this post. A companion podcast episode is also available there for those who prefer listening over reading.