International Dispute Resolution And The Public Policy Exception

Despite the unprecedented growth of arbitration and other means of ADR in treaties and transnational contracts in recent years, there remains no clearly defined mechanism for control of the system. One of the oldest yet largely marginalized concepts in law is the public policy exception. This doctrine grants discretion to courts to set aside private legal arrangements, including arbitration, which might be considered harmful to the "public". The exceptional and vague nature of the doctrine, along with the strong push of actors in dispute resolution, has transformed it, in certain jurisdictions, to a toothless doctrine. At the international level, the notion of transnational public policy has been devised in order to capture norms that are "truly" transnational and amenable for application in cross-border litigations. Yet, despite the importance of this discussion—a safety valve and a control mechanism for today’s international and domestic international dispute resolution— no major study has ventured to review and analyze it. This book provides a historical, theoretical and practical background on public policy in dispute resolution with a focus on cross-border and transnational disputes. Farshad Ghodoosi argues that courts should adopt a more systemic approach to public policy while rejecting notions such as transnational public policy, which limits the application of those norms with mandatory nature. Contrary to the current trend, the book invites the reader to re-conceptualize the role of public policy, and transnational dispute resolution, in order to have more sustainable, fair and efficient mechanisms for resolving disputes outside of national courts. The book sheds light on one of the most important yet often-neglected control mechanisms of today’s international dispute resolution and will be of particular interest to students and academics in the fields of International Investment Law, International Trade Law, Business and Economics.

In the process of resolving disputes, it is not uncommon for parties to justify actions otherwise in breach of their obligations by invoking the need to protect some aspect of the elusive concept of public order. Until this thoroughly researched book, the criteria and factors against which international dispute bodies assess such claims have remained unclear. Now, by providing an in-depth comparative analysis of relevant jurisprudence under four distinct international dispute resolution systems – trade, investment, human rights and international commercial arbitration – the author of this invaluable book identifies common core benchmarks for the application of the public order exception. To achieve the broadest possible scope for her analysis, the author examines the public order exception’s function, role and application within the following international dispute resolution systems: relevant World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements as enforced by the organization’s Dispute Settlement Body and Appellate Body; international investment agreements as enforced by competent Arbitral Tribunals and Annulment Committees under the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes; provisions under the Inter-American Convention of Human Rights and the European Convention of Human Rights as enforced by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, respectively; and the New York Convention as enforced by national tribunals across the world. Controversies, tensions and pitfalls inherent in invoking the public order exception are elucidated, along with clear guidelines on how arguments may be crafted in order to enhance prospects of success. Throughout, tables and graphs systematize key aspects of the relevant jurisprudence under each of the dispute resolution systems analysed. As an immediate practical resource for lawyers on any side of a dispute who wish to invoke or strengthen a public order exception claim, the book’s systematic analysis will be welcomed by lawyers active in WTO disputes, international investment arbitration, human rights law or enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. Academics and policymakers will find a signal contribution to the ongoing debate on the existence, legal basis, content and functions of the transnational public order.

The book presents arguments derived from primary sources related to international arbitration in South Asian jurisdictions, a list of the same is made available therein. The book is a research statement on the contemporary concerns within international commercial arbitration, especially related to enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. Importantly, the book through a unique methodology of interface, presents the gratuitous nature of Article 34 of the UNCITRAL Model Law when read with Article V of the New York Convention, especially the plea to the States within Article VII of the same Convention to ease the restrictions and the process of enforceability of foreign arbitral awards. The book also articulates another important and immediate need with regard to international arbitration – the delimitation of public policy exception to recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. It critiques the jurisprudence related to arbitration in jurisdictions spread across different geographic regions, thereby enabling the reader to gain an insight into their practices, apart from ensuring a comparative perspective. The book addresses the primary concern related to international arbitration – enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and the grounds for challenges articulated within the New York Convention and the UNCITRAL Model Law. It addresses these grounds, and articulates the necessity for carving the criteria for the application of public policy exception. The book will not only be a useful resource for policy makers, students and researchers interested in international commercial arbitration, and private international law, but also for practitioners working on dispute resolution in trans-jurisdictional disputes in South Asia and beyond. “...The present book is not just another book contributing to the endless list of literature already widely used in International Commercial Arbitration on public policy but, in my opinion, is unique in many respects. The distinguishing factor of this book is its regional perspective..." - Justice Deepak Verma, Former Judge of Supreme Court of India and Arbitrator “...This book addresses this core element of the success story of arbitration: enforcement and refusal to enforce and, hence, its relevance cannot be overstated...” - Csongor István Nagy, Professor of Law and Head, Department of Private International Law, University of Szeged, Hungary Detailed Forewords are available in the book and can be freely downloaded from https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-2634-0

This book systematically examines how the Chinese arbitration law system responds to the application of the public policy exception in the judicial review of international arbitral awards. The discussion is based on a general understanding of the legal concept of public policy in international arbitration practice and the understanding developed in Chinese arbitration law and judicial practice. In focusing on both international developments and Chinese arbitral and judicial practice, this book provides some lessons from and for China. The book is based on a review of both legislation and cases in China and a comparison with the international trends and consensuses, as well as a systematic assessment of China’s performance in defining and applying public policy in the judicial review of international commercial arbitral awards. Valuable insights are provided on the basis of detailed analysis of the relevant cases. In this context, the author raised and examined a few key questions to be answered by the judicial practice, including: the international/national nature of public policy, the key elements of public policy, and the appropriate boundaries of judicial review. The author also highlighted a few unique legal concepts and approaches adopted in the Chinese context and evaluated its impacts on foreign parties and practitioners dealing with arbitration issues in China. It is proposed that, in the context of China’s recent law reforms, further steps are expected to be taken by the Chinese legal system in order to achieve a more comprehensive view of the public policy exception that is consistent with the globalized trend of a converging understanding of public policy in international arbitration.

The Public Policy Exception under the New York Convention: History, Interpretation, and Application describes in detail the drafting history of the public policy exception of Art. V (2) (b) of the New York Convention in order to determine the purpose the signatory states wanted to achieve with this clause. The book also explains how this clause is applied by the courts in many economically relevant states, and especially in Brazil, Russia, India, and China. In September 2012, the Indian Supreme Court, in a case entitled Bharat Aluminium Co. v. Kaiser Aluminium Technical Service, Inc., announced a long expected decision practically reversing the judgments of Bhatia International and Venture Global and holding that Indian Courts are not permitted to set aside foreign arbitral awards. In this Revised Edition, the author explains and explores the reasoning of the Indian Supreme Court in this landmark decision and discusses the practical implications and consequences. Public Policy Exception under the New York Convention: History, Interpretation, and Application is of importance for all internationally active companies as well as for lawyers and courts. The book aids lawyers and companies in drafting arbitration clauses and in enforcing foreign arbitral awards. Often, judgments will not be enforced abroad; this is especially true with respect to an enforcement of foreign judgments in the BRIC countries. Therefore, internationally active companies and their advisors need guidance if and where foreign arbitral awards in their favor will be enforced abroad.

International Arbitration Law Library Volume 59 The eastward shift in international dispute resolution has already involved initiatives not only to improve support for international commercial arbitration (ICA) and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) but also to develop alternatives such as international commercial courts and mediation. Focusing on these initiatives and their accompanying case law and trends in the Asia-Pacific region, this invaluable book challenges existing procedures and frameworks for cross-border dispute resolution in both commercial and treaty arbitration. Specially assembled for this project, an outstanding team of experienced and insightful arbitrators and scholars describes pertinent developments including: ICA and ISDS in the context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative; the Singapore Convention on Mediation; the shift to virtual hearings and other challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic; mistrust of the application of the rule of law in certain East Asian jurisdictions; growing public concern over ISDS arbitration; tensions between confidentiality and transparency; and potential regional harmonisation of the public policy exception to arbitral enforcement. The contributors chart evolving practices and high-profile cases to make informed observations about where changes are needed, as well as educated guesses about the chances of reforms being successful and the consequences if they are not. The main jurisdictions covered are China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, India, Australia and Singapore. The first in-depth study of recent trends in dispute resolution practice related to business in the Asia-Pacific region, the book’s practical analysis of new resources for dealing with the increasing competition among countries to become credible regional dispute resolution hubs will prove to be of great value to specialists in the international business law sector. Lawyers will be enabled to make informed decisions on which venue and dispute resolution methods are the most suitable for any specific dispute in the region, and policymakers will confidently assess emerging trends in international dispute resolution policy development and treaty-making.

Numerous developments across the world in recent years bear witness to States’ increasing skepticism about the benefits of international cooperation and the efficiency of international economic law understood as a multilateral set of rules equally binding on all States. This timely book reviews situations where this new economic nationalism may impact the way arbitration—in both commercial and investment disputes—is practiced. Distinguished international arbitrators and academic experts analyze a wide array of topics, covering a broad spectrum of juristic traditions, geographic areas, foreign investment protection laws, and dispute resolution mechanisms and issues. Topics covered include the following: evolution of the definitions of arbitrable standards; amendments to procedural rules; States’ policy choices as reflected in recent investment treaties; procedural trends to restrict access to investment arbitration; the effects of the Achmea decision in the European Union; growing use of the public policy exception; dispute settlement of public-private partnership agreements; and diversification of dispute resolution methods (e.g., business courts). An important feature of the book is the ability it offers to compare various contemporary transformations of dispute settlement mechanisms, with attention to developments in a number of jurisdictions including the United States, the European Union, China, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey, and the Latin American countries. With its comprehensive analysis of how economic nationalism may lead to limiting the jurisdictional, procedural, and substantive scope of arbitration, the authors underscore the crucial importance of a robust system of international arbitration of economic disputes to ensure a stable and secure world order. The global coverage of the contributions and the insightful views offered in them speak eloquently about their usefulness and outreach for arbitration practitioners and scholars, as well as for professionals involved in drafting policies for economic development or in the negotiation of investment agreements.

This book examines existing international disputes resolution institutions of both general and specific subject-matter jurisdiction. Uniquely, it assesses both procedural rules and essential case-law, making it relevant for both academics and practitioners in international law.