A Little-Noticed Vote at the UN Tests Global Attitudes Towards The United States and Russia
International Court of Justice elections in the wake of the Israel-Palestine Crisis
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The election of judges to the International Court of Justice can be a hotly contested affair. The ICJ — sometimes referred to as the World Court — is one of the six main organs of the United Nations and it is empowered to adjudicate legal disputes between UN member states. This can range from territorial disputes among friendly neighbors like Belize and Honduras, to accusations of genocide.
The decisions handed down by the court are legally binding, though in practice sometimes countries simply ignore the them. Still, it is a powerful institution. Just 15 elected justices have the ability to decide major disputes in international affairs. Accordingly, countries tend to lobby hard to get their nationals a seat on the court.
Judges are elected to nine year terms in a somewhat convoluted process that includes simultaneous votes at the General Assembly and the Security Council. To win, each judge needs an absolute majority in both chambers, so 8 affirmative votes in the Security Council and 97 votes in the General Assembly. Vetos from permanent members of the Security Council don’t factor into this process.
In the vote last week, there were nine candidates vying for five open seats — including an American and a Russian.
In light of recent events, I thought it might be instructive to look at the vote totals to see what conclusions could be drawn about how the Israel-Palestine crisis is impacting sentiments at the General Assembly?
After all, these votes don’t happen in a vacuum. And the ICJ elections came just days after the General Assembly overwhelmingly called for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, leaving the United States deeply isolated for Washington’s rejection of a ceasefire and its iron-clad support for Israel. The the ICJ elections also come on the heels of several UN General Assembly votes that have kicked Russia off some key UN bodies.
Would UN member states vote against the American and Russian candidates in protest?
To a certain extent, these election results may serve as proxy for understanding shifting sentiments around the United Nations, particularly in light of the Israel-Palestine crisis. So, below the fold for paying subscribers we offer:
Full results and analysis of the International Court of Justice elections
Results from other recent UN General Assembly votes regarding the United States and Russia.
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