Although the International Court of Justice is called upon to identify rules of customary international law, the broader effect of these pronouncements has long raised controversial questions. This article opens these queries to further discussion by analysing custom used in the settlement of territorial disputes. The relevant case law is contextualized geopolitically to highlight not only taxonomic, but also practical tensions arising between custom and jurisprudence. Given the links between territorial interests and state sovereignty (and the resulting sensitivity of these disputes), this approach sheds light on a fundamental question: how do courts and tribunals use custom to imbue international relations with greater stability? The author concludes that such bodies must serve this function by developing — rather than merely interpreting or applying — international customary norms.

中文翻译：

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领土争端解决中习俗的发展

尽管国际法院被要求确定习惯国际法规则，但这些声明的更广泛影响长期以来一直引起争议。本文通过分析解决领土争端中使用的习惯，打开这些疑问以进一步讨论。相关判例法从地缘政治角度出发，不仅强调分类学上的，而且强调习俗与法理学之间出现的实际紧张关系。鉴于领土利益与国家主权之间的联系（以及由此产生的这些争端的敏感性），这种方法揭示了一个基本问题：法院和法庭如何利用习惯使国际关系更加稳定？作者得出的结论是，此类机构必须通过制定——而不仅仅是解释或应用——国际习惯规范来履行这一职能。