The International Court of Justice and the international customary law game of cards

GRADONI, Lorenzo

doi:10.1017/CBO9781139979498.014

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The International Court of Justice and the international customary law game of cards

GRADONI, Lorenzo

2015 • In Andenas, Mads; Bjorge, Eirik (Eds.) A Farewell to Fragmentation: Reassertion and Convergence in International Law

Editorial reviewed

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https://hdl.handle.net/10993/63692

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10.1017/CBO9781139979498.014

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Keywords :

International Law; Customary International Law; Fragmentation; International Court of Justice

Abstract :

[en] This chapter critically examines the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) role in shaping customary international law and its broader implications for the coherence of international law. It challenges the notion of the ICJ as a unifying 'high priest' of international law, instead highlighting its cautious approach to the development of customary law. The chapter critiques the widely held belief in a standardized 'rule of recognition' for identifying customary law, exploring how fragmented judicial practices and vague methodologies contribute to systemic ambiguity. Drawing on H.L.A. Hart's theories, it emphasizes the inherent challenges in aligning the ICJ's authority with a coherent, universally accepted legal framework. Additionally, it discusses the ICJ's "methodological poker face," suggesting that its cautious and often opaque approach neither strengthens its centrality nor mitigates concerns of fragmentation. The analysis concludes by exploring how states, scholars, and the International Law Commission respond to this ambiguity, often maintaining similarly guarded and cautious positions.

Disciplines :

European & international law

Author, co-author :

GRADONI, Lorenzo ; University of Luxembourg > Luxembourg Centre for European Law (LCEL) > LCEL Research ; University of Bologna, Italy

External co-authors :

yes

Language :

English

Title :

The International Court of Justice and the international customary law game of cards

Publication date :

2015

Main work title :

A Farewell to Fragmentation: Reassertion and Convergence in International Law

Editor :

Andenas, Mads

Bjorge, Eirik

Publisher :

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom

ISBN/EAN :

978-1-139-97949-8
978-1-107-08209-0

Pages :

371-406

Peer reviewed :

Editorial reviewed

Additional URL :

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/F3404A5294F4C001FAA6DB45B123C82D

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since 18 January 2025

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