If it was about politics, Icardi would play. The problem is that Icardi is mainly a 9 for the box and not a player to roam around and create space for people behind him. Also, he wouldn't come to Russia to sit on the bench. It is actually progress that he is not picked. I also don't see how he would have helped against Spain or would solve the problems the team has (midfield, slow defenders, goalkeeper). Mind you, Higuain should not be in the squad by any means.
With all that said, it was a fairly experimental line-up and despite the bad score very irrelevant. The less people believe that Argentina is any good, the less pressure and the less stress for the world cup. Plus if Messi is healthy, he alone is good enough to drag them to the final.