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THE MANUAL ON INTERNATIONAL COURTS AND TRIBUNALS. Ed by Ruth Mackenzie, Cesare Romano and Yuval Shany, with Philippe Sands Oxford: Oxford University Press (www.oup.com ), 2010. xxvi + 547 pp. ISBN 9780199545278. £95.

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
DOI10.3366/elr.2011.0054
Published date01 May 2011
AuthorJames Harrison
Date01 May 2011
Pages340-342

The introduction to this book describes four different phases in the development of international dispute settlement. Early in the history of this subject, most international disputes were settled between states themselves or submitted to ad hoc bodies created for the sole purpose of settling a particular dispute. The second phase started with the establishment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 1899. At this time, states recognized the need for a standing body which was available to settle international disputes peacefully. The end of the second world war marked the beginning of the third phase when the number of international courts and tribunals gradually expanded. They included general courts, such as the International Court of Justice, as well as specialist courts and tribunals dealing with specific areas of international law, such as trade, investment and human rights. In the fourth phase, starting in the 1990s, a number of judicial bodies were created with compulsory jurisdiction, such as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system. As a result, today we have a patchwork of institutions which are potentially available to settle international disputes.

The purpose of the Manual on International Courts and Tribunals is to map out the various courts and tribunals involved in international dispute settlement in order to provide a reliable source of basic information concerning their composition and procedures. It has been prepared by a group of experts acting within the framework of the Project on International Courts and Tribunals (http://www.pict-pcti.org ). The Manual is designed to provide easily accessible information aimed at academics, journalists, practitioners, and legal advisers, in particular from developing countries and non-governmental organizations.

The Manual is divided into seven themed sections covering global courts; arbitration institutions; international criminal courts and tribunals; regional economic integration bodies; human rights bodies; inspection, review and compliance mechanisms in international financial institutions; and compliance procedures in multilateral environmental agreements. As can be seen from this list, despite its title, the Manual is by no means confined to international courts and tribunals. Rather, it discusses a range of dispute settlement mechanisms. For instance, the compliance mechanisms in Multilateral Environmental Agreements...

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