NCJ Number
140017
Journal
Minnesota Law Review Volume: 75 Issue: 3 Dated: (February 1991) Pages: 827- 847
Date Published
1991
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the current status of the International Court of Justice concludes that increasing confidence in the Court's potential role in international adjudication will require careful selection of cases in which the Court can be given jurisdiction and can respond.
Abstract
The Court's current caseload of eight pending cases represents a substantial increase from its empty docket of two decades ago. However, its role in the international legal community has substantially diminished, with major nations refusing to accept or renouncing their acceptance of the Court's compulsory jurisdiction. As a result, the Court's work has largely been confined to the subject of disputed boundaries. To build confidence, countries should determine the specific topics on which international disputes would be taken to the Court. The number of issues would be limited, and highly political questions would be excluded. Such a process will be long and difficult, but it will offer a future in which adjudication will resolve international conflict. Footnotes