The International Court of Justice (ICJ), located in the Netherlands, is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. The ICJ serves as a court of international law, with Judges hearing various disputes between states and delivering a judgement. It also serves to offer advisory opinions to groups such as the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. Since it's founding in 1946, the ICJ has dealt with more than 50 cases between states and has also delivered over 20 advisory opinions. It has a mixed record of successes and failures, with a surprisingly high degree of compliance with the verdict. This paper surveys the history, structure, and criticisms of the International Court of Justice. .
The ICJ was founded in 1946 after World War Two. However, the Hague, where the ICJ resides, has been a host to international courts since 1899. The Hague Peace Conference of 1899 established the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Permanent Court of Arbitration was not just used to settle matters through Arbitration, but used occasionally used other pacific methods, like good office and mediation. The court officially began operating in 1902, but went through some revisions after a second Hague Peace Conference in 1907. A few years latter the court would move into the Peace Palace, that was built as a gift from steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie. The Permanent Court of Arbitration made many strides in international law. It still functions to this day, independent of other international organizations (History, 3).
After the First World War, the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) was formed within the frame work of the League of Nations in 1920. It shared residency of the peace palace with the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The PCIJ operated smoothly, for about twenty years. The court fled Norway at the start of World War Two. The judges vowed to return and make another court again. After World War Two, with the establishment of the United Nations, there was talk of establishing a new international court in the image of the PCIJ, in the new frame work of the UN.