Should any country be exempt from international war crimes legislation?”
There is no body that has the legal authority to “legislate” in a binding way upon other countries or their nationals resident in that country. The only thing that a nation can do is pass laws which claim to have extra-territorial effect. A court in Spain or England or anywhere else can issue an arrest warrant. However, if the person who is the subject of the warrant is in another country, it is up to the other country to honor or dishonor the extradition request as it sees fit. So as long as the subject of the warrant stays at home, the warrant is meaningless, unless the nation in which he is in decides to honor the warrant. This is congruent with existing International Law. Country A and Country B can enter into a treaty which is binding on both parties. However, if Country B decides that it is no longer bound by the treaty, it can rely on the well established rule of law, called, “Clausula rebus sic stantibus,” which means that a provision of a treaty will not be enforced because co
