Blavatnik Book Talk: The ICJ and Multi-forum Litigation Strategy

'In a world where inter-State multi-forum litigation multiplies, so does the risk of courts becoming diplomatic platforms to air State grievances.' Nowadays, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is called to confront this risk when dealing with the main political issues of the day.

Nikolaos Voulgaris’ recent monograph The ICJ and Multi-forum Litigation Strategy draws inferences from legal and political sciences to assess ICJ authority when crises make their way to it as part of a multi-forum litigation strategy. It identifies the essential characteristics of this strategy and delineates ICJ instrumentalization against this background. Multi-forum litigation is the latest strategic trend when attempting to resolve inter-State disputes. The prolific utilisation of judicial institutions that comes with it (of the UN Court in particular), renders their work relevant in addressing contemporary problems but it comes at a cost. It triggers a rethinking of their role and their capacity to influence international politics.

Voulgaris will present his recent monograph and he will assess the recent over-reliance of States on international courts to resolve disputes inter se via multi-form litigation strategies. The instrumentalisation of courts that comes with such over-reliance impacts the authority of such institutions, the ICJ in particular. Increasingly instrumentalising courts in this manner may alter State perception around the courts’ role; from legal dispute settlers to crises managers and diplomatic organs. The book suggests that authority does not necessarily go hand-in-hand with reliance on a court, and neither does trust. And, in turn, this may impact upon the authority of international law as such.

Speaker biographies:

Nikolaos Voulgaris is a Professor of International Law at the European Law and Governance School. Also, he is an Adjunct Professor at the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He is a Fellow at the Centre of International Governance and Dispute Resolution of King’s College London and at the Athens Public International Law Centre. He has read law in Athens (LLB, LLM) and London (LLM, PhD). He is the author of The ICJ and Multi-forum Litigation Strategy (Brill, 2025) and Allocating International Responsibility between International Organizations and Member States (Hart, 2019).

Philippa Webb is Professor of Public International Law at the Blavatnik School of Government. She is co-founder and director of the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice. She is a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. Her research interests span all of Public International Law, with particular expertise in international dispute settlement, human rights, international organizations law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law. Her current research concerns how national and global justice systems can support flourishing societies and uphold fundamental rights.