Key points for reflection:

• Prior to the Charter era and the 1929 Kellogg-Briand Pact, recourse to force was an acceptable last resort in settling disputes
• Long history of dispute settlement before the Charter and a great variety of methods designed to achieve this
• Article 2(3) UN Charter: obligation on States to resort to peaceful dispute settlement
• Article 33(1) choice of means to States: negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means
• Arbitration: though awards are binding, parties have a degree of control over the selection of arbitrators and the procedure
• Adjudication at the ICJ: a permanent bench, fixed rules of procedure, an extensive case law; but jurisdiction remains based on the consent of States