The World Court's exclusive resolution of inter-state disputes has become one of the cornerstones of its identity. This insightful critique challenges the implication that individuals have little importance in such disputes as a result, revealing their relevance in a myriad of disputes beyond those centered on violations of multilateral human rights treaties. Arguing for individuals' enhanced integration, it unveils a multitude of procedural practices with unquenched potential. It also carefully unpacks the Court's legal reasoning antithetical to individuals' critical relevance in traditionally state-centric territorial or maritime disputes, amongst others. Critically analysing and evaluating 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 the degree to which they are treated as such in law and practice. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

‘A work that is original and timely, inviting the reader to re-think classical approaches to the nature and functioning of the international legal order and bring it into a new reality. A rare work, one that captures the zeitgeist, is finely written, beautifully structured, and should be a point of significant reference on roads yet to be travelled.’

Philippe Sands - Professor of the Public Understanding of Law, University College London, Barrister (King’s Counsel), 11KBW

‘The Individual in the Law and Practice of the International Court of Justice! What an intriguing book, and I don’t mean just the counter-intuitive title. In this book, Yusra Suedi makes a compelling case for the International Court of Justice to consider more the interest and position of people in its work. While acknowledging the statutory limitations, and without taking the easy route of proposing an amendment to the Statute, Suedi shows how, in discrete areas of the Court’s work, people are affected and how the Court can do more to better account for the interests of people. I would recommend this book to anyone working on (a) the place of the individual in international law, (b) the work of the International Court of Justice (c) the intersection of the areas.’

Dire Tladi - Judge, International Court of Justice, Former Member and Chair of the UN International Law Commission

‘In this book, Yusra Suedi embarks on an eye-opening journey that reveals the place of the individual in the ICJ’s judgments and advisory opinions as well as an actor in the procedure of the World Court. It highlights how the interests of the individual are increasingly taken into account. This intellectual exploration characterised by social idealism, critical reflection and aspiration shows us that the individual is present but that for the purposes of legitimacy and effectiveness this presence must be enhanced and properly consolidated.’

Laurence Boisson de Chazournes - Professor of International Law, University of Geneva