The Humanitarian Face of the International Court of Justice: Its Contribution to Interpreting and Developing International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Rules and Principles, vol. 26.

• Author: Cernic, Jernej Letnar
• Position: Book review

Gentian Zyberi, The Humanitarian Face of the International Court of Justice: Its Contribution to Interpreting and Developing International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Rules and Principles (Utrecht School of Human Rights Research Series, Volume 26, 2008) ISBN 978-9-050-95792-2, 523 pages

This monograph is one of the first on the contribution of the International Court of Justice ('ICJ') to interpreting and developing international human rights and humanitarian law rules and principles. Although such a book has been long awaited by academics, students and practitioners of human rights and public international law worldwide, it has been worth the wait despite its minor weaknesses. Both the choice of title--The Humanitarian Face of the International Court of Justice'--and its high academic standard and length indicate the author's effort to present the topic comprehensively, broadly and in a novel way. Written by Gentian Zyberi, an assistant professor at the University of Utrecht and an advisor to the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the book offers a clear, in-depth and fresh insight to the contribution of the ICJ to international human rights and humanitarian law. The book derives from the author's PhD dissertation, defended on 3 April 2008 at the University of Utrecht. The book is divided into six chapters, which adopt a well-structured clear approach, with the chapters coherently following each other, although more chapters might have lightened the reader's load as they are fairly long. At the beginning, the author explains that the book's primary objective is to research 'the contribution and the role of the World Court in interpreting and developing international human rights and humanitarian law rules and principles' (1). The research was conducted through detailed analysis of the jurisprudence of the international Court of Justice relating to human rights and humanitarian law. The author argues that his research aims 'to increase the understanding of one important and potentially binding element of the international legal system, the World Court...'. (2)

Following the introductory chapter, the second chapter is divided into three parts. The first part briefly presents the background to the ICJ and places it in the framework of international dispute settlement mechanisms. The second part deals with the possibilities for and limitations of the Court. In other words, it attempts to highlight both the open doors and the hurdles...