The law of the sea tribunal and the ICJ : Some notions about utility

The article traces the history of the Law of the Sea Tribunal. The conflict between supporters of the Tribunal and the opponents (who view it as infringing on the legitimate territory of the International Court of Justice) is explained. The relatively limited role of universal international courts in the 20th century is described and it is argued that a possible model for the potential success or otherwise of the new Tribunal may be found in the European regional courts: the ECU and the ECHR.