| Peer-Reviewed

Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation

Received: 29 September 2021    Accepted: 21 October 2021    Published: 25 November 2021
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

In 1948, by not renovating its signature to the mandatory jurisdiction clause set out in Article 36 §2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Brazil placed itself at the margin of the most important international tribunal nowadays. This normative is recognized as an advance in international relations in its civilizing historical framework. Therefore, such an attitude denotes an incredulity vis-à-vis international law, in disagreement with the Brazilian fundamental charter of 1988. In its article 4, the Constitution includes governing principles in international relations: the solution to peaceful conflicts, the defense of peace, and the cooperation of peoples for human progress. Consequently, it is fair to think that the 1988 text is relatively receptive to international law, making Brazil’s refractory position to the ICJ inconsistent with the constitutional norm. Thus, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the arguments invoked to justify the waiving of the jurisdiction clause are unfounded. Theoretically, this article is justified by the need to take a stand in favor of a school of thought that believes in the maintenance of international peace through dialogue, reason, the application of moral principles and institutionalized justice. In order to convince the Brazilian State to reconcile with the ICJ, qualitative, bibliographical, and documentary research will be carried out based on comparative and historical methodological procedures, guided by a deductive approach grounded on the case study. In this regard, the article analyzes ICJ’s historical evolution, studies its role in the international system, and evaluates why the Brazilian State rejected its contentious jurisdiction. In light of the French and North American experiences, which also denounced the clause, the arguments upheld against the Court are critically examined. The conclusion is that the ICJ contributes to world peace by consolidating public international law and that Brazil should, therefore, return to the scope of the United Nations’ jurisdiction.

Published in International Journal of Law and Society (Volume 4, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16
Page(s) 280-292
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Article 36 §2 of the Statute, Brazil, Impartiality, International Court of Justice, Optional Clause to Compulsory Jurisdiction

References
[1] Kant. I. (1796) Project for Perpetual Peace.
[2] Baylis, J., & Smith, S. (2006) The globalization of world politics. 3° ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 189. Adde Kennedy, P. (2006) The Parliament of Men: The United Nations and the quest for world government. London (Great Britain): Penguin Books, 361, 314-315.
[3] Menezes, W. (2013) Tribunais internacionais. Jurisdição e competência. São Paulo: Saraiva, 25: “um avanço nas relações internacionais no seu marco histórico civilizatório” (author’s translation). Adde Brant, L. N. C. A Corte Internacional de Justiça e a construção do direito internacional. Belo Horizonte (Brazil): CEDIN, 2005.
[4] Lissitzyn, O. J. (2008) The International Court of Justice. Its Role in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security. New Jersey: The Lawbook Exchange, 1.
[5] UN (2000). The International Court of Justice. Questions and Answers about the Principal Judicial Organ of the United Nations. 10° ed. New York: United Nations, 2.
[6] Brant, L. N. C., & Lage, D. A. (2010) O aumento do número de órgãos judiciais internacionais e suas repercussões para a sociedade internacional. In Brant, L. N. C. (coord.), Anuário Brasileiro de Direito Internacional, n. 5, v. 1, Belo Horizonte (Brazil): CEDIN, 155.
[7] Except Montes, A. L. (2012) A Corte Internacional de Justiça e o Brasil: uma necessária reconciliação. TCC (Completion of Course Work), Faculdade Ruy Barbosa, Salvador (Brazil), directed by J. Robichez, unpublished.
[8] Mazzuoli, V. O. (2015) Curso de Direito Internacional Público. 9° ed. São Paulo (Brazil): Revista dos Tribunais, 2015, 1167. Adde Amr, M. S. (2003) The Role of the International Court of Justice as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The Hague (Netherlands): Kluwer Law International, 10.
[9] Quoc Dinh, N., Daillier, P., Forteau; M., & Pellet, A. (2010) Droit international public. 8° ed. Paris (France): LGDJ, 985.
[10] Singh, N. (1989) The role and record of the International Court of Justice. Dordrecht (Netherlands): Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1.
[11] Rhona, K. M. S. (2007) Textbook on international human rights. Oxford (Great Britain): Oxford University Press, 55.
[12] Vieira, D. R., & Brant, L. N. C. (2009) Os desafios da Corte Internacional de Justiça na atualidade. In Brant, L. N. C. (coord.). Anuário Brasileiro de Direito Internacional, n. 4, v. 1, Belo Horizonte (Brazil): CEDIN, 114.
[13] Rezek, J. F. (2013) Direito internacional público. Curso elementar. 14° ed. São Paulo (Brazil): Saraiva, 412.
[14] Rosenne, S. (2006) The Court and the United Nations. Leiden (Netherlands): Koninklijke Brill NV, 788. See also (1993) An International Law Miscellany. Dordrecht (Netherlands): Martinus Nijhoff, 16.
[15] Distefano, G, & Buzzini, G. P. (2005) Bréviaire de jurisprudence internationale. Les fondamentaux du droit international public. Bruxelles (Belgium): Bruylant, 491. (Author’s translation).
[16] Mackay, D. (1995) Nuclear testing: New Zealand and France in the International Court of Justice. Fordham International Law Journal, New York, v. 19, n. 5, 1859. Adde Elias, T. (1989) The International Court of Justice and some contemporary problems. Dordrecht (Netherlands): Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 101.
[17] ICJ. Judgment of December 1974, “Nuclear Tests (Australia v. France). Retrieved 27 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/58.
[18] Posner, E. A. (2005) Is the International Court of Justice biased? Journal of Legal Studies, Chicago, v. 34, n° 599, 7.
[19] Brichambaut, M. P. de, Dobelle, J.-F., & Coulée, F. (2011) Leçons de droit international public. 2° ed. Paris (France): Presses de Sciences Po, 402.
[20] Posner, E. (2006) A. The decline of the International Court of Justice. In: Voight, S. (Org.). International Conflict Resolution, New York, 23. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www.ericposner.com/Decline%20of%20the%20ICJ.pdf.
[21] Kissinger, H. (1994) Diplomacy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 774. Adde Keylor, W. R. (2004) The Twentieth Century World: an international history. 2° ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 403. - Saraiva, J. (2008) Dois gigantes e um condomínio: da Guerra Fria à Coexistência Pacífica (1947-1968). In: Saraiva, J. (Org.). História das Relações Internacionais Contemporâneas. 2° ed. São Paulo (Brazil): Saraiva, 201.
[22] ICJ. Judgment of 27 June 1986, “Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/70.
[23] Pomerance, M. (1997) The United States and the World Court as the Supreme Court of the Nations: dreams, illusions and disillusion. Dordrecht (Netherlands): Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 477, 343.
[24] Hobbes, T. (2000) Le Léviathan. Paris (France): Folio.
[25] Malenovsky, J. (2010) Les opinions séparées et leurs répercussions sur l’indépendance du juge international. Anuario Colombiano de Derecho Internacional. Bogotá (Colombia), v. 3, 27.
[26] Ila Study Group. (2004) The Burgh House principles on the independence of the international judiciary. Study Group for the International Law Association on the Practice and Procedure of International Courts and Tribunals. London: Burgh House.
[27] Tokyo Trial. Dir. Verhoeff P. & King. R. W. Prod. NHK, FATT Productions of the Netherlands, Don Carmody Television of Canada, Japan/Netherlands/Canada, 2016, 4 episodes (online film).
[28] Franck, T. (1995) Fairness in International Law and Institutions. 2° ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 346.
[29] McWhinney, E. (1987) The International Court of Justice and the Western Tradition of International Law. Dordrecht (Netherlands): Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 73.
[30] ICJ. Members of the Court. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/members.
[31] Hobsbawm, E. (2000) Era dos extremos: o breve século XX 1914-1991. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 597, 219.
[32] ICJ. Judgment of 4 June 2008. Case “Concerning certain Questions of Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (Djibouti v. France)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/136.
[33] ICJ. Order of 8 November 2010. “Certain Criminal Proceedings in France (Republic of the Congo v. France)”. Overview of the Case. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/129.
[34] All the cases retrieved from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/cases-by-country/fr.
[35] Read for example the opinion of the ambassador and ex-consultant of the Presidency of the Republic Patriota, G. de A. (7 August 2012) Dois pesos, duas medidas. Folha de São Paulo. São Paulo (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/opiniao/59211-dois-pesos-duas-medidas.shtml.
[36] Following the example of Trinidad and Tobago, President Hugo Chavez denounced, on the 9th of October 2012, the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights after Venezuela's conviction in the Díaz Pena case. V. Veras, N S. (2013) “Legitimação pela soberania ou pelos direitos humanos: Considerações acerca da entrada da Venezuela no Mercosul e sua denúncia à Convenção Americana de Direitos Humanos”. Anais do 4° Encontro Nacional da Associação Brasileira de Relações Internacionais. Belo Horizonte (Brazil).
[37] IACHR. PM 382/10 – Indigenous Communities of the Xingu River Basin, Pará, Brazil. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/indigenous/protection/precautionary.asp#382/10.
[38] Read the interview with ex-minister Paulo Vannuchi elected to the OAS Commission in June 2013: Fleck, I. (7 August 2012) Brasil quer reatar com órgão que criticou Belo Monte. Folha de São Paulo. São Paulo (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/mundo/112572-brasil-quer-reatar-com-orgao-que-criticou-belo-monte.shtml.
[39] Brazil. Decreto n.° 4.388, 25 September 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/decreto/2002/D4388.htm.
[40] Chade, J. (25 January 2015) Brasil perde direito de votar em Tribunal da ONU por falta de pagamento. O Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://internacional.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,brasil-perde-direito-de-votar-em-tribunal-da-onu-por-falta-de-pagamento,1623453.
[41] Varella, M. D. (2009) Direito internacional público, São Paulo (Brazil): Saraiva, 435.
[42] Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/pending-cases.
[43] UNGA. Report of the International Court of Justice. 1 August 2019-31 July 2020. A/75/4. 2020.08.01, 7. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N20/204/00/PDF/N2020400.pdf?OpenElement.
[44] ICJ. Judgment of 27 January 2014, "Maritime Dispute (Peru v. Chile)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/137.
[45] ICJ. Judgment of 13 March 2014. "Whaling in the Antartic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/148.
[46] ICJ. Judgment of 03 February 2015. "Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/118.
[47] Maupas, S. (03 February 2015) Génocide: la justice internationale renvoie Serbes et Croates dos à dos. Le Monde Paris (France). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://abonnes.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2015/02/03/genocide-la-justice-internationale-renvoie-serbes-et-croates-dos-a-dos_4569187_3214.html.
[48] ICJ. Press Release. N.° 2020/32, 2020.11.03. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/press-releases/0/000-20201103-PRE-01-00-EN.pdf.
[49] UNGA. Couverture des réunions et communiqués de presse. GA/12281, 3 November 2020. A Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.un.org/press/fr/2020/ag12281.doc.htm.
[50] Abi-Saab, G. (2008) The International Court as the world court. In Lowe, V., & Malgosia, F. (Org.). Fifty Years of the International Court of Justice: Essays in Honour of Sir Robert Jennings, New York: Cambridge University Press, 4.
[51] ICJ. Advisory opinion of 11 April 1949. “Reparation for injuries Suffered in the Service of the United Nations”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/declarations.
[52] ICJ. Declarations recognizing the jurisdiction of the Court as compulsory. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/declarations.
[53] Bastos Jr. P. R. (14 October 2020) Operação Amazônia 2020 – O Exército mostra sua capacidade de atuação. Tecnologia & Defesa, Brasília (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://tecnodefesa.com.br/sobre-a-revista/.
[54] Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://search.oas.org/fr/pages/default.aspx?k=TIAR.
[55] OAS. Permanent Council. Convocation of the Meeting of the Organ of Consultation of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR). CP/RES. 1137 (2245/19). 11 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www.oas.org/en/council/CP/documentation/res_decs/Default.asp?q=&e=&evento=.
[56] Melito, L., & Souza, M D. (8 August 2020) Celso Amorim: Brasil pode “abrir porta” para invadir outros países. Brasil de Fato, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2020/08/08/celso-amorim-brasil-pode-abrir-a-porta-para-invadir-outros-paises.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Juliette Robichez. (2021). Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation. International Journal of Law and Society, 4(4), 280-292. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Juliette Robichez. Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation. Int. J. Law Soc. 2021, 4(4), 280-292. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Juliette Robichez. Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation. Int J Law Soc. 2021;4(4):280-292. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16,
      author = {Juliette Robichez},
      title = {Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation},
      journal = {International Journal of Law and Society},
      volume = {4},
      number = {4},
      pages = {280-292},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijls.20210404.16},
      abstract = {In 1948, by not renovating its signature to the mandatory jurisdiction clause set out in Article 36 §2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Brazil placed itself at the margin of the most important international tribunal nowadays. This normative is recognized as an advance in international relations in its civilizing historical framework. Therefore, such an attitude denotes an incredulity vis-à-vis international law, in disagreement with the Brazilian fundamental charter of 1988. In its article 4, the Constitution includes governing principles in international relations: the solution to peaceful conflicts, the defense of peace, and the cooperation of peoples for human progress. Consequently, it is fair to think that the 1988 text is relatively receptive to international law, making Brazil’s refractory position to the ICJ inconsistent with the constitutional norm. Thus, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the arguments invoked to justify the waiving of the jurisdiction clause are unfounded. Theoretically, this article is justified by the need to take a stand in favor of a school of thought that believes in the maintenance of international peace through dialogue, reason, the application of moral principles and institutionalized justice. In order to convince the Brazilian State to reconcile with the ICJ, qualitative, bibliographical, and documentary research will be carried out based on comparative and historical methodological procedures, guided by a deductive approach grounded on the case study. In this regard, the article analyzes ICJ’s historical evolution, studies its role in the international system, and evaluates why the Brazilian State rejected its contentious jurisdiction. In light of the French and North American experiences, which also denounced the clause, the arguments upheld against the Court are critically examined. The conclusion is that the ICJ contributes to world peace by consolidating public international law and that Brazil should, therefore, return to the scope of the United Nations’ jurisdiction.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation
    AU  - Juliette Robichez
    Y1  - 2021/11/25
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16
    T2  - International Journal of Law and Society
    JF  - International Journal of Law and Society
    JO  - International Journal of Law and Society
    SP  - 280
    EP  - 292
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2640-1908
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16
    AB  - In 1948, by not renovating its signature to the mandatory jurisdiction clause set out in Article 36 §2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Brazil placed itself at the margin of the most important international tribunal nowadays. This normative is recognized as an advance in international relations in its civilizing historical framework. Therefore, such an attitude denotes an incredulity vis-à-vis international law, in disagreement with the Brazilian fundamental charter of 1988. In its article 4, the Constitution includes governing principles in international relations: the solution to peaceful conflicts, the defense of peace, and the cooperation of peoples for human progress. Consequently, it is fair to think that the 1988 text is relatively receptive to international law, making Brazil’s refractory position to the ICJ inconsistent with the constitutional norm. Thus, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the arguments invoked to justify the waiving of the jurisdiction clause are unfounded. Theoretically, this article is justified by the need to take a stand in favor of a school of thought that believes in the maintenance of international peace through dialogue, reason, the application of moral principles and institutionalized justice. In order to convince the Brazilian State to reconcile with the ICJ, qualitative, bibliographical, and documentary research will be carried out based on comparative and historical methodological procedures, guided by a deductive approach grounded on the case study. In this regard, the article analyzes ICJ’s historical evolution, studies its role in the international system, and evaluates why the Brazilian State rejected its contentious jurisdiction. In light of the French and North American experiences, which also denounced the clause, the arguments upheld against the Court are critically examined. The conclusion is that the ICJ contributes to world peace by consolidating public international law and that Brazil should, therefore, return to the scope of the United Nations’ jurisdiction.
    VL  - 4
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Law and International Relations Schools, Centro Universitário Jorge Amado, Unijorge, Bahia, Brazil

  • Sections