ABSTRACT
Traditionally legal scholarship has distinguished between diplomatic and legal dispute settlement mechanisms. The first type of mechanism relies on diplomacy, while the latter are methods which leave the legal settlement of the dispute to neutral third parties. In recent decades the number of legal dispute settlement mechanisms charged with settling disputes based on international law has significantly increased. The role and involvement of non-state actors in these ‘new’ and existing judicial dispute settlement mechanisms is multifaceted. This chapter focuses on three specific actors: international organizations (IOs), individuals and corporations, which from the perspective of international dispute settlement are the most important players, after states.
