Foreign State Immunity And Arbitration

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

This book examines the history and development of diplomatic and state immunity, state debt and pre- and post-judgement measures.It defines what a state debt is and what may be excluded. It further makes a distinction between public and private acts of the State, and explains the current jurisprudential developments with respect to the activities that a State may be excepted jurisdiction, prosecution and enforcement action against her.Using cases from the US and the EU, this book analyses the judicial interpretation and decisions of Treaties, Conventions and Statutes developed over the past 2 centuries. The book considers institutionalised and non-institutionalised arbitration and judicial means of dispute resolution, with cases brought before State courts and arbitration under the Bank of International Settlement.Finally, this book is suitable for academicians, professionals, students of the law business and finance, administrators, and anyone who might be curious about sovereign immunity.

Providing article-by-article commentary on this crucial convention and a number of cross-cutting analytical chapters, this book will be highly useful for anyone working in general international law and state responsibility. Each article's commentary draws on its drafting history, state practice, and relevant national and international case law.

Few topics of international law speak to the imagination as much as international immunities. Questions pertaining to immunity from jurisdiction or execution under international law surface on a frequent basis before national courts, including at the highest levels of the judicial branch and before international courts or tribunals. Nevertheless, international immunity law is and remains a challenging field for practitioners and scholars alike. Challenges stem in part from the uncertainty pertaining to the customary content of some immunity regimes said to be in a 'state of flux', the divergent – and at times directly conflicting - approaches to immunity in different national and international jurisdictions, or the increasing intolerance towards impunity that has accompanied the advance of international criminal law and human rights law. Composed of thirty-four expertly written contributions, the present volume uniquely provides a comprehensive tour d'horizon of international immunity law, traversing a wealth of national and international practice.