The international dispute settlement system is currently facing many challenges regarding the authority, effectiveness, and legitimacy of its methods and mechanisms and their coordination. These challenges cut across different fields of international law and relations such as investment, trade, human rights, water resources, the law of the sea, the environment, international peace and security, disaster law, space, and cyberspace. New technologies also impact on the scope of existing disputes and their settlement, which lead to the emergence of new disputes and ways of settling them. This book offers insightful reflections by academics and practitioners on such challenges and how they can be addressed as well as on how the international dispute settlement system should adapt to attain its aim of maintaining peace and international legality. It deals with many contemporary issues and is wide-ranging in scope. It is suitable for students, scholars, and practitioners of international dispute settlement, international law, and international relations.

‘This collection of essays, dedicated to the memory of Prof. Merrills – the late grand master of international dispute settlement – is an impressive new contribution to the literature in this dynamic field of international law. It brings together some of the biggest and most promising scholars and practitioners active in this area of international law to take stock of progress and remaining challenges, and to address systemic questions of fragmentation, coordination, legitimacy and effectiveness in international dispute settlement. The high calibre of the scholarship offered, the breadth of the book's scope of coverage and the well thought-out analytical framework used make this an essential piece of reading for students, researchers, practitioners and other aficionados of international dispute settlement and international law.'

Yuval Shany - Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in International Law and former Dean of the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem