1 Enforcement of Judgements of the International Court of Justice: The Roles of the Court and the Security Council Marcela Silva Bezerra INTRODUCTION In recent years, there have been an increasing number of discussions about the effectiveness of international courts, especially the International Court of Justice (ICJ), due to its broader reach and worldwide importance. After 70 years of work, this court has now reached a stable and prestigious position in the international arena. Yet, the ICJ faces some drawbacks related to a lack of confidence in it by some states and in certain subject matters. This may be caused by the emergence of several new specific courts, either linked to particular fields of international law such as the law of the Sea, and trade law; or courts established in a certain region of the world, such as the European Court of Justice, the East African Court of Justice, and the Central American Court of Justice. Understanding the phenomenon of the ongoing lack of confidence in the work of the International Court of Justice requires a deep investigation into the contributing factors. Firstly, it is important to stress that, to date, no coherent theory has been presented explaining what judicial effectiveness is. Nevertheless, a consensus among scholars has emerged such that the effectiveness of a court can be measured by objective data such as usage rate, judgment compliance, and impact on state conduct. The first measurement, defined as “usage rate”, indicates the level of jurisdiction that a Court has, in comparison with the reach that it could potentially achieve. In the international arena, as we know, it is exceptionally difficult to establish a court with compulsory jurisdiction, especially one like the ICJ whose potential reach is so wide. For Aloysius Llamzon 1 , a greater acceptance of the compulsory nature of the ICJ’s jurisdiction is 1 Aloysius P. Llamzon, 'Jurisdiction And Compliance In Recent Decisions Of The International Court Of Justice' (2007) 18 European Journal of International Law 819.