Compliance with Provisional Measures Indicated by the International Court of Justice

Provisional measures are an important instrument in the settlement of international disputes. However, little interest has been shown with regard to compliance with such measures. Due to the structure of the international community, provisional measures cannot be enforced, but only complied with. The present article explores the existing methods for ensuring compliance with provisional measures indicated by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and examines past proposals to improve the record of compliance with such measures. Further, the article analyses the means which international courts and tribunals other than the ICJ possess to ensure compliance with their provisional measures. Building upon such a comparative study, the article sets forth some specific suggestions aimed at increasing the level of compliance with provisional measures indicated by the ICJ.