Without the ability to mobilize coercive m easures\, international adjudicators must rely on their authority to influe nce real-world outcomes. This paper considers the origin and conceivable us es of the authority of international adjudicators. International courts’ in fluence relies on their ability to mobilize\, through mere authoritative co mmunications\, the different internal and external forces that shape state behavior\, influencing the views of individuals within states and shaping m utual expectations of cooperative and sanction-worthy behavior. For this\, international courts have at their disposal a variety of communicative inst ruments: their judicial remedies. Though all judicial remedies are\, at the ir core\, modalities of interpretation and application of norms\, their var ied focuses allow adjudicators to calibrate the exercise of their authority . The paper establishes a fourfold typology of international judicial remed ies – Mere Adjudication\, Declaration of Breach\, Consequential Duties\, an d Permissible Responses – each targeting a specific element of the internat ional normative framework. Through different remedies\, adjudicators interp ret the normative framework\, establish violations\, and determine conduct required to restore lawful relations. The fourth category of remedies\, oft en left untapped\, encompasses judicial determinations of permissible respo nses to breach: what measures other actors may take to respond to violation s\, compelling wrongdoers to comply with their obligations and provide redr ess for injury. If fully explored\, this fourth category might reshape the prevailing understanding of the relationship between international adjudica tion and coercive enforcement.
Building on these themes\, Pro f. Geraldo Vidigal will join us for a conversation marking the pre sentation of his new book\, Adjudicating over Anarchy: Judicial Remed ies\, Compliance\, and Enforcement in International Law (Cambridge University Press\, 2026). The event is organized by the Harvard Interna tional Law Journal (HILJ). Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP
About the author:
Prof. Geraldo Vidig al is Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam\, where h e coordinates the LL.M. in International Trade and Investment Law. He is Ed itor-in-Chief of Legal Issues of Econom ic Integration\, sits on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of International Economic Law and the Latin American and Caribbean Journal of Inte rnational Law\, and is a member of the Executive Council of the Societ y of International Economic Law. He holds a PhD in Law (University of Cambr idge)\, a Master’s in International Law and International Organizations (So rbonne – Paris 1)\, and a Bachelor’s in Law (University of São Paulo). He h as been a Dispute Settlement Lawyer at the World Trade Organization\, a Sen ior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute in Luxembourg\, and a Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute.
If you have a
ny questions\, please contact HILJ’s Outreach Chair\, Juan Jorge