In my previous post I took issue with what appears to be the basic premise of super-arbitrator Kaufmann-Kohler's approach to creating a multilateral investment court: because of the overriding importance of maximum enforcement instruments for investors, a multilateral tribunal can't deviate too much from "arbitration&

Currently the European Commission and Canada are at the forefront of an initiative to replace traditional investor-state arbitration with a multilateral investment court.  The latter would likely include a true appellate mechanism, serious rules on arbitrator ethics and against conflict of interest, judges who are qualified in public international law

The FT has a copy here. It is being portrayed as more evidence of the U.S. planning to move away from the WTO, and perhaps it is, but to be honest the language is not as radical as I expected.  Yes, there are mentions of "sovereignty" and

This is from the FT: The Trump administration is exploring alternatives to taking trade disputes to the World Trade Organisation in what would amount to the first step away from a system that Washington helped to establish more than two decades ago. Incoming officials have asked the US Trade Representative’

Over on twitter, my friend Colin Brown and I were discussing exceptions clauses in international investment agreements.  When I suggested that it was important to have such exceptions apply to the fair and equitable treatment obligation, he asked, "but why would one need an exception from failure to provide

The deadline for submissions is fast approaching. Please submit your paper or abstract proposal by next Wednesday, March 1st. For details please see the call for papers here. About the conference: The Graduate Institute’s Centre for Trade and Economic Integration and Georgetown University’s Institute of International Economic Law

Details are here. Some highlights: * The deadline to apply is Wednesday 8 March. * You will not be alone. It says, "NUMBER OF POSTS: Up to 17" * Not that I am buying this, but it says, "For those working full-time, you will be expected to work a five-day

This is from the CBC: The first Canadian troops will arrive in Latvia in June, kicking off a much-anticipated NATO deployment to restrain potential Russian ambitions in eastern Europe, Gen. Jonathan Vance said Friday. Roughly 450 Canadians will form the backbone and leadership of a multinational battle group that will

This is from Inside US Trade: Trump administration officials this week defended the current methodologies applied to collect and present U.S. trade data and statistics, and dismissed as “completely inaccurate” a report by the Wall Street Journal that claimed U.S. agencies are considering changing those methodologies. Last week&

Texas A&M University School of Law, in cooperation with the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) and co-sponsored by the American Society of International Law (ASIL), present International Law Weekend—South: "The Global Future of International Trade, Human Rights, and Development," March 2-3, 2017,