Foreign State Immunity and Arbitration


Book Description

In State Immunity and Arbitration the author explores the limits of the concept of State Immunity as it relates to both jurisdiction and execution against state property in arbitration cases. The current scope of state immunity from jurisdiction is examined with reference to legislative and jurisprudential developments in the US and UK where the author finds evidence of a definite shift away from the traditional restrictive theory of state immunity. A similar survey of state practice relating to waiver, both express and implied, of immunity from jurisdiction and the relevant rules of arbitration institutions such as the ICC also illustrate a trend towards shrinking immunity.




Contemporary Problems in International Arbitration


Book Description

The establishment of a School of International Arbitration was a sufficiently important occurrence to have brought to London, for its inaugural conference, most of the world's leading experts on international arbitration. The three-day Symposium on March 25-27, 1985 sought to identify and consider the It was not the aim contemporary problems affecting international arbitration. of the Symposium to develop, propose or agree solutions to these problems, but rather to discuss the issues and alternative solutions. The success of the School will be measured in the future by its contribution, through research and teaching, to the development of solutions to the difficulties and uncertainties which reduce the effectiveness of international arbitration agreements and awards and the conduct of international arbitral proceedings. This book reproduces the papers presented at the Symposium (amended and varied by several contributors). It is not considered appropriate here to comment on or analyse paper by paper the ideas presented or discussions which ensued. However, it would be appropriate to make reference to specific developments in the short period since the Symposium directly relevant to the papers reproduced and the discussions which ensued. The pertinence of the subject-matter selected becomes clear from these subsequent developments.




Foreign State Immunity and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in English Courts


Book Description

If Lauterpacht, writing back in 1950, warned about the changing landscape of the law of immunities due to the increased activities of the state in the economic sphere, English courts have never been so busy with regards to the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards against sovereign states today. As foreign direct investment grows, so too does the number of disputes between states and investors. Increasingly these disputes are resolved by international arbitration proceedings but once resolved, the enforcement of awards against states brings its own challenges. Whilst enforcement of arbitral awards should be 'almost a matter of administrative procedure' (to use the language of PetroChina International (Hong Kong) Corp Ltd [2011]), immunities remain to some, a 'hurdle', adding complexity to that process. This book gives the reader the key to understanding the principles governing such a notion in the context of enforcement of arbitral awards. This is the first systematic treatment of the jurisprudence relating to award enforcement against foreign states in England. It provides comprehensive examination of the principles and case-law relating to state immunity in the context of enforcement of international arbitral awards before English courts. It addresses questions such as: What are the principles governing the enforcement of international awards against sovereigns in England? How does the distinction between jurisdictional immunity and enforcement immunity operate in this context? What are the precise contours of such legal notions when they are put into motion by means of procedure? What is the practice of English courts in that regard? This book also covers the complexities arising from enforcement proceedings in other jurisdictions and their relation to proceedings in England. Authored by an expert with unique insight into immunities both as a practising barrister and as an academic, this is an essential resource for anyone interested or involved in enforcement proceedings during which state immunity is invoked.




The State Immunity Controversy in International Law


Book Description

The author shows through a careful analysis of the law that restrictive immunity does not have vox populi in developing countries, and that it lacks usus. He also argues that forum law, i.e. the lex fori is a creature of sovereignty and between equals before the law, only what is understood and acknowledged as law among states must be applied in as much as the international legal system is horizontal.




The Law of State Immunity


Book Description

The doctrine of state immunity bars a national court from adjudicating or enforcing claims against foreign states. This doctrine, the foundation for high-profile national and international decisions such as those in the Pinochet case and the Arrest Warrant cases, has always been controversial. The reasons for the controversy are many and varied. Some argue that state immunity paves the way for state violations of human rights. Others argue that the customary basis for the doctrine is not a sufficient basis for regulation and that codification is the way forward. Furthermore, it can be argued that even when judgments are made in national courts against other states, the doctrine makes enforcement of these decisions impossible. This fully restructured new edition provides a detailed analysis of these issues in a more clear and accessible manner. It provides a nuanced assessment of the development of the doctrine of state immunity, including a general comprehensive overview of the plea of immunity of a foreign state, its characteristics, and its operation as a bar to proceedings in national courts of another state. It includes a coherent history and justification of the plea of state immunity, demonstrating its development from the absolute to the restrictive phase, arguing that state immunity can now be seen to be developing into a third phase which uses immunity allocate adjudicative and enforcement jurisdictions between the foreign and the territorial states. The United Nations Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of states and their Property is thoroughly assessed. Through a detailed examination of the sources of law and of English and US case law, and a comparative analysis of other types of immunity, the authors explore both the law as it stands, and what it could and should be in years to come.




Foreign Affairs Litigation in United States Courts


Book Description

Foreign Affairs Litigation in United States Courts collects essays by some of the nation’s top foreign affairs and international law experts to offer discussions on foreign sovereign immunity and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, human rights litigation, foreign affairs taking actions with the Court of Federal Claims, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, and the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements. This is an indispensable resource for attorneys and government officials focused on the role of the courts in foreign affairs, actions against foreign governments in United States courts, the Act of State Doctrine, foreign sovereign immunity, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, foreign affairs takings actions in the Court of Federal Claims, and choice of court in international litigation.




The Law of State Immunity


Book Description

The notion of state immunity precludes a national court from adjudicating or enforcing claims against foreign states. This text explores the surrounding controversy by reference to the role of the modern state and immunity's relationship to the exercise of civil and criminal jurisdiction.




State Immunity in International Law


Book Description

The immunity or exemption enjoyed by States from legal proceedings before foreign national courts is a crucial area of international law. On the basis of an exhaustive analysis of judicial decisions, international treaties, national legislation, government statements, deliberations in international organisations as well as scholarly opinion, Xiaodong Yang traces the historical development of the relevant doctrine and practice, critically analyses the rationale for restrictive immunity and closely inspects such important exceptions to immunity as commercial transactions, contracts of employment, tortious liability, separate entities, the enforcement of judgments, waiver of immunity and the interplay between State immunity and human rights. The book draws a full picture of the law of State immunity as it currently stands and endeavours to provide useful information and guidance for practitioners, academics and students alike.




60 Years of the New York Convention


Book Description

Worldwide interest in the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards has never been higher, and the New York Convention of 1958, currently adhered to by 159 States including the major trading nations, remains the most successful treaty in this area of commercial law. This incomparable book, marking the Convention’s 60th anniversary, provides a fully updated analysis of the Convention’s application from international, comparative, and national perspectives. Drawing on a global conference held in Seville in April 2018 that was actively supported by UNCITRAL, the book’s 27 chapters, by highly qualified international practitioners and academics from different jurisdictions, address the subject with critical eyes, well aware of current developments and future challenges in the field of arbitration. Among the issues and topics covered are the following: Multi-tiered dispute resolution clauses. Applicability of the UN Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts. Complexities of enforcing orders determined by software. Enforcement of annulled awards. European Union law and the New York Convention. Enforcing awards against States and State entities. Sovereign immunity as a ground to refuse compliance with investor-State awards; Enforcement against non-signatories. Public policy exception. Arbitrating and enforcing foreign awards in specific countries and regions, including China, sub-Saharan Africa, and the ASEAN countries. Ample reference is made throughout to leading cases and practice. Familiarity with the intricacies of the New York Convention, as the most universally acknowledged framework in which cross-border economic exchanges can flourish, is essential for judges, practitioners, legal staff, business people, and scholars working with or applying international commercial arbitration anywhere in the world. This book’s combination of highly thought-provoking topics and the depth with which they are addressed will prove invaluable to all interested parties




State Entities in International Arbitration


Book Description

States get involved in international affairs either directly or through their instrumentalities. The activities of these instrumentalities raise many issues, two of which have given rise to significant recent developments both in arbitral and domestic case law. The first is whether and under what conditions a State may be held liable for the conduct of such instrumentalities on the basis of an investment treaty. This issue will be the subject of a systematic survey of ICSID and ICC case law and that of other arbitral tribunals so as to identify the circumstances in which such liability may arise. The second issue, which is addressed by State courts, is whether and under what conditions State instrumentalities that have a separate and autonomous legal personality may be held liable for the pecuniary obligations of the State. A comparative law study focusing in particular on solutions found in French, English and U.S. law will provide answers to the question as to whether an award holding a State liable may be enforced against the assets of instrumentalities of that State, where such instrumentalities are prima facie separate juridical persons.