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Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation

Received: 29 September 2021     Accepted: 21 October 2021     Published: 25 November 2021
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Abstract

In 1948, by not renovating its signature to the mandatory jurisdiction clause set out in Article 36 §2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Brazil placed itself at the margin of the most important international tribunal nowadays. This normative is recognized as an advance in international relations in its civilizing historical framework. Therefore, such an attitude denotes an incredulity vis-à-vis international law, in disagreement with the Brazilian fundamental charter of 1988. In its article 4, the Constitution includes governing principles in international relations: the solution to peaceful conflicts, the defense of peace, and the cooperation of peoples for human progress. Consequently, it is fair to think that the 1988 text is relatively receptive to international law, making Brazil’s refractory position to the ICJ inconsistent with the constitutional norm. Thus, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the arguments invoked to justify the waiving of the jurisdiction clause are unfounded. Theoretically, this article is justified by the need to take a stand in favor of a school of thought that believes in the maintenance of international peace through dialogue, reason, the application of moral principles and institutionalized justice. In order to convince the Brazilian State to reconcile with the ICJ, qualitative, bibliographical, and documentary research will be carried out based on comparative and historical methodological procedures, guided by a deductive approach grounded on the case study. In this regard, the article analyzes ICJ’s historical evolution, studies its role in the international system, and evaluates why the Brazilian State rejected its contentious jurisdiction. In light of the French and North American experiences, which also denounced the clause, the arguments upheld against the Court are critically examined. The conclusion is that the ICJ contributes to world peace by consolidating public international law and that Brazil should, therefore, return to the scope of the United Nations’ jurisdiction.

Published in International Journal of Law and Society (Volume 4, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16
Page(s) 280-292
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Article 36 §2 of the Statute, Brazil, Impartiality, International Court of Justice, Optional Clause to Compulsory Jurisdiction

References
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[27] Tokyo Trial. Dir. Verhoeff P. & King. R. W. Prod. NHK, FATT Productions of the Netherlands, Don Carmody Television of Canada, Japan/Netherlands/Canada, 2016, 4 episodes (online film).
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[29] McWhinney, E. (1987) The International Court of Justice and the Western Tradition of International Law. Dordrecht (Netherlands): Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 73.
[30] ICJ. Members of the Court. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/members.
[31] Hobsbawm, E. (2000) Era dos extremos: o breve século XX 1914-1991. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 597, 219.
[32] ICJ. Judgment of 4 June 2008. Case “Concerning certain Questions of Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (Djibouti v. France)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/136.
[33] ICJ. Order of 8 November 2010. “Certain Criminal Proceedings in France (Republic of the Congo v. France)”. Overview of the Case. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/129.
[34] All the cases retrieved from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/cases-by-country/fr.
[35] Read for example the opinion of the ambassador and ex-consultant of the Presidency of the Republic Patriota, G. de A. (7 August 2012) Dois pesos, duas medidas. Folha de São Paulo. São Paulo (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/opiniao/59211-dois-pesos-duas-medidas.shtml.
[36] Following the example of Trinidad and Tobago, President Hugo Chavez denounced, on the 9th of October 2012, the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights after Venezuela's conviction in the Díaz Pena case. V. Veras, N S. (2013) “Legitimação pela soberania ou pelos direitos humanos: Considerações acerca da entrada da Venezuela no Mercosul e sua denúncia à Convenção Americana de Direitos Humanos”. Anais do 4° Encontro Nacional da Associação Brasileira de Relações Internacionais. Belo Horizonte (Brazil).
[37] IACHR. PM 382/10 – Indigenous Communities of the Xingu River Basin, Pará, Brazil. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/indigenous/protection/precautionary.asp#382/10.
[38] Read the interview with ex-minister Paulo Vannuchi elected to the OAS Commission in June 2013: Fleck, I. (7 August 2012) Brasil quer reatar com órgão que criticou Belo Monte. Folha de São Paulo. São Paulo (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/mundo/112572-brasil-quer-reatar-com-orgao-que-criticou-belo-monte.shtml.
[39] Brazil. Decreto n.° 4.388, 25 September 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/decreto/2002/D4388.htm.
[40] Chade, J. (25 January 2015) Brasil perde direito de votar em Tribunal da ONU por falta de pagamento. O Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://internacional.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,brasil-perde-direito-de-votar-em-tribunal-da-onu-por-falta-de-pagamento,1623453.
[41] Varella, M. D. (2009) Direito internacional público, São Paulo (Brazil): Saraiva, 435.
[42] Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/pending-cases.
[43] UNGA. Report of the International Court of Justice. 1 August 2019-31 July 2020. A/75/4. 2020.08.01, 7. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N20/204/00/PDF/N2020400.pdf?OpenElement.
[44] ICJ. Judgment of 27 January 2014, "Maritime Dispute (Peru v. Chile)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/137.
[45] ICJ. Judgment of 13 March 2014. "Whaling in the Antartic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/148.
[46] ICJ. Judgment of 03 February 2015. "Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia)”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/118.
[47] Maupas, S. (03 February 2015) Génocide: la justice internationale renvoie Serbes et Croates dos à dos. Le Monde Paris (France). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://abonnes.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2015/02/03/genocide-la-justice-internationale-renvoie-serbes-et-croates-dos-a-dos_4569187_3214.html.
[48] ICJ. Press Release. N.° 2020/32, 2020.11.03. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/press-releases/0/000-20201103-PRE-01-00-EN.pdf.
[49] UNGA. Couverture des réunions et communiqués de presse. GA/12281, 3 November 2020. A Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.un.org/press/fr/2020/ag12281.doc.htm.
[50] Abi-Saab, G. (2008) The International Court as the world court. In Lowe, V., & Malgosia, F. (Org.). Fifty Years of the International Court of Justice: Essays in Honour of Sir Robert Jennings, New York: Cambridge University Press, 4.
[51] ICJ. Advisory opinion of 11 April 1949. “Reparation for injuries Suffered in the Service of the United Nations”. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/declarations.
[52] ICJ. Declarations recognizing the jurisdiction of the Court as compulsory. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.icj-cij.org/en/declarations.
[53] Bastos Jr. P. R. (14 October 2020) Operação Amazônia 2020 – O Exército mostra sua capacidade de atuação. Tecnologia & Defesa, Brasília (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://tecnodefesa.com.br/sobre-a-revista/.
[54] Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://search.oas.org/fr/pages/default.aspx?k=TIAR.
[55] OAS. Permanent Council. Convocation of the Meeting of the Organ of Consultation of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR). CP/RES. 1137 (2245/19). 11 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2021 from http://www.oas.org/en/council/CP/documentation/res_decs/Default.asp?q=&e=&evento=.
[56] Melito, L., & Souza, M D. (8 August 2020) Celso Amorim: Brasil pode “abrir porta” para invadir outros países. Brasil de Fato, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2020/08/08/celso-amorim-brasil-pode-abrir-a-porta-para-invadir-outros-paises.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Juliette Robichez. (2021). Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation. International Journal of Law and Society, 4(4), 280-292. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16

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    Juliette Robichez. Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation. Int. J. Law Soc. 2021, 4(4), 280-292. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16

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    AMA Style

    Juliette Robichez. Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation. Int J Law Soc. 2021;4(4):280-292. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16,
      author = {Juliette Robichez},
      title = {Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation},
      journal = {International Journal of Law and Society},
      volume = {4},
      number = {4},
      pages = {280-292},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijls.20210404.16},
      abstract = {In 1948, by not renovating its signature to the mandatory jurisdiction clause set out in Article 36 §2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Brazil placed itself at the margin of the most important international tribunal nowadays. This normative is recognized as an advance in international relations in its civilizing historical framework. Therefore, such an attitude denotes an incredulity vis-à-vis international law, in disagreement with the Brazilian fundamental charter of 1988. In its article 4, the Constitution includes governing principles in international relations: the solution to peaceful conflicts, the defense of peace, and the cooperation of peoples for human progress. Consequently, it is fair to think that the 1988 text is relatively receptive to international law, making Brazil’s refractory position to the ICJ inconsistent with the constitutional norm. Thus, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the arguments invoked to justify the waiving of the jurisdiction clause are unfounded. Theoretically, this article is justified by the need to take a stand in favor of a school of thought that believes in the maintenance of international peace through dialogue, reason, the application of moral principles and institutionalized justice. In order to convince the Brazilian State to reconcile with the ICJ, qualitative, bibliographical, and documentary research will be carried out based on comparative and historical methodological procedures, guided by a deductive approach grounded on the case study. In this regard, the article analyzes ICJ’s historical evolution, studies its role in the international system, and evaluates why the Brazilian State rejected its contentious jurisdiction. In light of the French and North American experiences, which also denounced the clause, the arguments upheld against the Court are critically examined. The conclusion is that the ICJ contributes to world peace by consolidating public international law and that Brazil should, therefore, return to the scope of the United Nations’ jurisdiction.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Brazil and the International Court of Justice: A Necessary Reconciliation
    AU  - Juliette Robichez
    Y1  - 2021/11/25
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20210404.16
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    JF  - International Journal of Law and Society
    JO  - International Journal of Law and Society
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2640-1908
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    AB  - In 1948, by not renovating its signature to the mandatory jurisdiction clause set out in Article 36 §2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Brazil placed itself at the margin of the most important international tribunal nowadays. This normative is recognized as an advance in international relations in its civilizing historical framework. Therefore, such an attitude denotes an incredulity vis-à-vis international law, in disagreement with the Brazilian fundamental charter of 1988. In its article 4, the Constitution includes governing principles in international relations: the solution to peaceful conflicts, the defense of peace, and the cooperation of peoples for human progress. Consequently, it is fair to think that the 1988 text is relatively receptive to international law, making Brazil’s refractory position to the ICJ inconsistent with the constitutional norm. Thus, the primary purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the arguments invoked to justify the waiving of the jurisdiction clause are unfounded. Theoretically, this article is justified by the need to take a stand in favor of a school of thought that believes in the maintenance of international peace through dialogue, reason, the application of moral principles and institutionalized justice. In order to convince the Brazilian State to reconcile with the ICJ, qualitative, bibliographical, and documentary research will be carried out based on comparative and historical methodological procedures, guided by a deductive approach grounded on the case study. In this regard, the article analyzes ICJ’s historical evolution, studies its role in the international system, and evaluates why the Brazilian State rejected its contentious jurisdiction. In light of the French and North American experiences, which also denounced the clause, the arguments upheld against the Court are critically examined. The conclusion is that the ICJ contributes to world peace by consolidating public international law and that Brazil should, therefore, return to the scope of the United Nations’ jurisdiction.
    VL  - 4
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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  • Law and International Relations Schools, Centro Universitário Jorge Amado, Unijorge, Bahia, Brazil

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