Part V The Functions of International Organizations, Ch.30 Dispute Settlement

This chapter considers two broad categories of dispute settlement: roles and procedures that seek to resolve disputes on non-legal grounds, and those involving application of legal principles and procedures. While legal writers tend to equate ‘dispute settlement’ with settlement through legal procedures, other non-legal procedures such as diplomatic negotiations, mediation, and good offices are more often used. Indeed, it is generally recognized that negotiation is the simplest and most frequently used mode of international dispute settlement. However, the line between these two categories can be far from clear, and settlement of a dispute can involve both legal and non-legal processes.