Preliminary chapter : The dynamics of negotiations as a process from an international relations perspective : a brief visit -- The multifunctionality of negotiations as means for the peaceful settlement of disputes and their status under international law -- A first visit to the functional interaction between negotiations and adjudication by the Court as mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes -- Negotiations a precondition for the submission of a dispute to the Court -- The existence and nature of a dispute and failed negotiations are the keys to the Great Hall of Justice, but who is the key holder? -- Negotiations during the course of the proceedings -- Negotiations and their role in the judicial settlement by the Court -- Failed post-adjudicative negotiations and returning to the Court -- Conclusions : Revisiting the functional interaction between negotiations and judicial settlement by the International Court of Justice.