Today, the International Court of Justice is the leading institution to which the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean appeal to resolve territorial disputes. Among a great number of possible approaches to assessing the role of the International Court in a given territorial dispute, the only reliable criterion is whether the conflict has been settled after the Court's decision has been taken or whether the sketch for its settlement has been managed by the parties. The authors concluded that the Hague court is effective in resolving territorial disputes as far as the involved countries allow it to be effective. If the parties get conscious that an unresolved territorial conflict between them is a tangible obstacle to the development of relations, then for the sake of eliminating such a hindrance they get ready to comply with any decision of the Court, because the positive effect of the settlement overwhelms the negative outcomes of a possible loss of the case.