This publication gives the opmlOns and discussions of an international Symposium on the judicial settlement of international disputes as well as three expert reports which were submitted for the Symposium's preparation. The Symposium sought to answer the following three questions: (1) Does the International Court of Justice, as it is presently shaped, cor­ respond to the requirements which follow from its functions as the central judicial body of the international community? (2) To which extent and for which subject matters is it advisable to create and develop special judicial bodies with a jurisdiction limited to certain regions or to certain subject matters? (3) To which extent and for which questions is it advisable to provide for the settlement of international legal disputes by other organs than permanent courts? The Symposium took place from July 10-12, 1972 in the Max-Planck­ Institut fiir ausHindisches offentliches Recht und Volkerrecht in Heidelberg. Experts in international law and international jurisdiction from many countries were invited, not in their official capacity, but rather on the basis of their individual competence; the list of participants appears at the end of this volume.