PIL Discussion Group: Missing Pieces of Peace: A History of International Dispute Settlement

Why do (semi-)peripheral states conclude dispute settlement treaties and consent to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)? Why do they turn to international courts? How do they perceive the ICJ? This talk excavates international legal histories and practices in the Americas to address these questions, casting a new light on the history, theory, and politics of international dispute settlement.

This talk first explores the history of dispute settlement treaties between Latin American countries and the United States, analysing the interests and ambitions at play. In doing so, it challenges both works that present peace as a driver of international adjudication and critical accounts that associate international dispute settlement commitments with imperial practices. Secondly, the talk builds on this history to trace Latin American states’ transition from occasional engagement to regular appearances before the ICJ. It uses this trajectory to explore the forces that shape state decisions to bring cases before the Court.

Justina Uriburu is an international law scholar with a special interest in international dispute settlement and the history and theory of international law. She is a Lecturer in International Law at the University of Manchester and the Co-Director of the Manchester International Law Centre (MILC). She is also an Associate Editor at EJIL: Talk!, the blog of the European Journal of International Law. Before joining the University of Manchester, Justina was a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute. She holds a PhD in International Law from the Geneva Graduate Institute and an LLM in International Law from University College London.