Route 1 principal judicial organ, 1945, The Hague → bench built to represent the world → jurisdiction reaches only as far as states allow

Route 2 composition is universal, jurisdiction is consensual → the Court’s reach is fixed by states, not by its bench

fifteen judges / no two from same state / nine years / elected by General Assembly + Security Council voting separately / five seats every three years → bench must represent principal legal systems + main forms of civilization → hence the claim to speak for international society → but no compulsory jurisdiction → consent routes: party to the Statute / acceptance under conditions / referral → two heads: contentious (states) + advisory (UN organs, specialised agencies) → within consent the grip is firm: final, binding, no appeal → Kulbhushan Jadhav order to Pakistan

the same consent is the weakness → states may refuse jurisdiction → enforcement runs through the UNSC, permanent member can veto → US and Israel non-compliance → Prabhash Ranjan: over Ukraine, Russia can veto enforcement against itself

Route 1 consent loosens the grip exactly where the stakes are highest → still the archetype of international adjudication

Route 2 representative bench + consensual jurisdiction → the most far-reaching attempt yet to apply the rule of law between states