Indian Candidate Re-elected as ICJ Chief

India scored a major diplomatic victory on November 20 as its nominee to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected after the United Kingdom withdrew its candidate Christopher Greenwood.

Many Firsts

• This is the first time in over seven decades of the United Nations, that the U.K. will not be represented in the ICJ; and this is the first time that one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council lost out to an ordinary member in a race.
• This is also the first time that one sitting member of the ICJ lost out to another sitting member.
• The winning candidate required a majority in both the GA and the UNSC, but 11 rounds of voting until had ended with India winning in the GA and the U.K. winning in the SC.
• With the UK announcing its exit in the 12th round, Mr. Bhandari received 183 of the 193 votes in the GA and secured all the 15 votes in the Security Council after separate and simultaneous elections were held at the UN headquarters in New York.

Significance of this Victory

• The election of Justice Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice for a second term is a major diplomatic success for India.
• The loss at the ICJ is being read as confirmation of the U.K.’s diminishing role in global affairs. As America’s inseparable and unquestioning junior partner, the country had asserted its relevance in the post-War order even as its military and economic power eroded.
• For India, soon after its failure to gain membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the lobbying for the ICJ election has different lessons. With all five permanent members of the UNSC fiercely locking arms to protect their collective interest of dominating the world body, India’s success was built primarily on the support of developing countries, among whom it has nurtured goodwill over the decades. Japan also appeared to align with the P-5.

Lessons for India

• India’s call for a more equitable world order has a better resonance among developing countries than the custodians of the current order. India’s support in the UNGA was expanding with subsequent rounds of voting, a reality the U.K. and the U.S. could not brush aside.
• For India, the takeaway is clear: to find a louder global voice, it also needs to put more emphasis on ties with countries away from the high table.