Preliminary Objections in the International Legal Proceedings as an Element of International Legal Policy of State

In modern international legal scholarship, preliminary objections are considered procedural means for preventing the consideration of an international dispute in a judicial proceeding. This approach is adopted in works on the classification of preliminary objections. However, preliminary objections must be examined not only autonomously within a concrete litigated case, but as an integral part of the international legal policy of the concerned state. Under the concept of international legal policy, every state must participate in the development of international law following its own special strategy for advancing its international legal positions on different issues. Through coordination of wills on the elaboration of international law, every state aspires to construct its strategy, which would persuade the international community of validity and necessity of an advanced view on certain international issues with minimal concessions to other views.

International legal policy is pursued at every life cycle stage of an international legal norm from law making to interpretation, application, and dispute settlement. Preliminary objections can be considered elements of international legal policy on par with other actions and declared positions of the state in the international legal field. On the basis of the international legal policy perspective, this article explores the hypothesis about the interdependence between the raised objections and the outcome of the case.

This work reveals that the preliminary objections present the attitude of the state to the international dispute or to the proceedings in general, but they are not a determinative factor for forecasting the state’s conduct in the proceedings, and most importantly, its compliance with a binding judgment. The review of the practice of International Court of Justice demonstrates that the raise of preliminary objections does not always indicate the weakness of the state’s international legal arguments for maintaining its standpoint in the judicial process nor predetermines non-compliance with the judgment. Concurrently, the examination of preliminary objections as an integral part of international legal policy on a concrete issue broadens the understanding of the state’s position in the dispute.