Explores the contributions of international courts and tribunals in terms of performance by offering a comparative analysis of international courts.

International courts and tribunals are key actors in international law, both because of their primary dispute resolution function and for their role in developing international law in a more general sense. Their growing number and complexity makes a detailed study of their practice particularly relevant. The Rules, Practice, and Jurisprudence of International Courts and Tribunals examines existing international dispute resolution institutions, including those of general jurisdiction (ICJ, PCA), specialised jurisdiction (ITLOS, ICSID, WTO), as well as human rights courts, international criminal courts and tribunals, courts of regional integration agreements, claims commissions and tribunals, and administrative tribunals of international organizations. Uniquely, it assesses both procedural rules and essential case-law, making it relevant for both academics and practitioners in international law.

This book argues that we must look beyond the traditional criteria of compliance and effectiveness to judge the performance of Africa's international courts. It demonstrates how these courts are important venues for activists and opposition parties to wage political, social, environmental, and legal struggles on the international stage.

The end of World War II marked the beginning of a new golden era in international law. Treaties and international organisations proliferated at an unprecedented rate, and many courts and tribunals were established with a view to ensuring the smooth operation of this new universe of international relations. The network of courts and tribunals that exists today is an important feature of our global society. It serves as an alternative to other, sometimes more violent, forms of dispute settlement. The process of international adjudication is constantly evolving, sometimes in unexpected ways. Through contributions from world-renowned experts and emerging voices, this book considers the future of international courts from a diverse range of perspectives. It examines some of the regional, institutional and procedural challenges that international courts face: the rising influence of powerful states, the turn to populism, the interplay between courts, the involvement of non-state actors and third parties in international proceedings, and more. The book offers a timely discussion of these challenges, with the future of several international courts hanging in the balance and the legitimacy of international adjudication being called constantly into question. It should also serve as a reminder of the importance of international courts for the functioning of a rules-based international order. ‘The Future of International Courts’ is essential reading for academics, practitioners and students who are interested in international law, including those who are interested in the role international courts play in international relations.

Domestic law has long been recognised as a source of international law, an inspiration for legal developments, or the benchmark against which a legal system is to be assessed. Academic commentary normally re-traces these well-trodden paths, leaving one with the impression that the interaction between domestic and international law is unworthy of further enquiry. However, a different - and surprisingly pervasive - nexus between the two spheres has been largely overlooked: the use of domestic law in the interpretation of international law. This book examines the practice of five international courts and tribunals to demonstrate that domestic law is invoked to interpret international law, often outside the framework of Articles 31 to 33 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. It assesses the appropriateness of such recourse to domestic law as well as situating the practice within broader debates regarding interpretation and the interaction between domestic and international legal systems.

During the last 20 years the world has experienced a sharp rise in the number of international courts and tribunals, and a correlative expansion of their jurisdictions. This book draws on social sciences to provide a clear, goal-orientated assessment of their effectiveness, and a critical evaluation of the quality of their performance.

Beginning about a century ago, but with a dramatic acceleration of the process in the final decades of the 1900s, international courts and tribunals have taken a prominent place in the enforcement of international law, the maintenance of international peace and security and the protection and promotion of human rights. This book addresses the great diversity of these institutions, their structures and legal frameworks and their contribution to the international rule of law.