Nicaragua v. United States
The landmark case on the use of force, intervention, and the limits of ICJ jurisdiction over powerful states.
Background
In 1984, Nicaragua filed a case against the United States at the ICJ, alleging that the US was unlawfully using force against Nicaragua by supporting the Contra rebels, mining Nicaraguan harbors, and conducting other military and paramilitary activities. The case arose from the Reagan administration's efforts to destabilize the Sandinista government, which the US saw as a Soviet-aligned threat in Central America.
The US initially participated in the jurisdictional phase but then withdrew, arguing that the Court lacked jurisdiction and that the dispute was political, not legal. This was the first time a major power had walked out of ICJ proceedings, and it triggered a crisis for the Court's authority.
