The Effectiveness of Mechanisms for Ensuring the Implementation of Security Council Decisions and International Court of Justice Judgments in International Law: From Legal Obligation to Political Reality

Ahmad Momeni Rad; Mohammad Jassim Hameed Al-Maamouri

Authors

Ahmad Momeni Rad Associate Professor of International Law, Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Corresponding author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1099-5905
Mohammad Jassim Hameed Al-Maamouri Ph.D. Student in International Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2295-5125

Keywords:

International Court of Justice, Security Council, binding decisions, implementation of international decisions, enforcement mechanisms, veto power, international law

Abstract

Decisions of international institutions can effectively regulate international relations only when an effective link exists between their legal bindingness and their practical implementation. This study aims to comparatively examine the binding and enforcement powers of decisions issued by the International Court of Justice and the Security Council, and to explain the factors contributing to the gap between their legal obligation and practical implementation. Using a descriptive–analytical method and a comparative approach, and drawing on library sources and international legal documents, the study examines the foundations of bindingness, the scope of effects, mechanisms for ensuring implementation, and the extent to which the two institutions are influenced by international politics. The findings indicate that the Security Council, particularly within the framework of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, possesses broader enforcement and coercive instruments and, in this respect, has greater capacity to ensure the implementation of its decisions. In contrast, the contentious judgments of the Court are legally binding; however, their implementation depends on the cooperation and political will of States and, in specific cases, on the capacity of the Security Council. Nevertheless, the Security Council’s enforcement superiority is constrained by the veto power, the interests of major powers, and the selective nature of its decisions. Consequently, strengthening oversight, institutional cooperation, and non-coercive mechanisms may reduce the gap between the legal obligation and practical implementation of international decisions.

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