Part III The Major Cases and Controversies: A Survey of State Practice, 6 The Major Cases

Subject(s):

Freshwater — Lakes — Rivers

This chapter explores cases bearing on the field of international watercourses that have been decided by the International Court of Justice or its predecessor. States have submitted only a few disputes concerning international watercourses to the International Court of Justice or its predecessor, though the pace is clearly picking up. There are doubtless many factors that explain this phenomenon, including reluctance to give a dispute a high international profile, reluctance to trust dispute resolution to a third party over whom states have no control, hesitancy about submitting a dispute to a tribunal composed of judges, the expense of litigating before the World Court, and the like. On the other hand, states are bringing an increasing number of cases of all kinds, including those concerning international watercourses, to the Court, indicating that it is becoming a more popular forum for the resolution of disputes.