The Individual in the Law and Practice of the International Court of Justice

The cornerstone of the World Court’s identity is its resolution of inter-state disputes. This insightful critique challenges the implication that individuals have little importance in such disputes as a result. Arguing for individuals’ enhanced integration, it reveals their relevance in a myriad of disputes beyond those centred on violations of multilateral human rights treaties and unveils a multitude of procedural practices with unquenched potential. It also carefully unpacks and interrogates the Court’s legal reasoning in various contexts such as territorial and maritime disputes, amongst others. Finally, it critically analyses and evaluates the legal and political underpinnings for the Court’s approaches and state litigants’ choices from a lens of social idealism. This pioneering study sheds light on the imbalance between individuals as key stakeholders in inter-state disputes and their treatment in law and practice. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Yusra Suedi is a lecturer in International Law at the University of Manchester. She has worked for the United Nations and in international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice. She has also worked in cases before the International Court of Justice.