Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons^™

Condominum Arrangements In International Practice: Reviving An Abandoned Concept Of Boundary Dispute Resolution, Joel H. Samuels

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article attempts to revive the consideration of condominium as a possible solution to contemporary boundary disputes. Part I describes specific historic instances of condominia and derives relevant lessons from each instance. Part II notes that some critics of condominium have in fact confused condominium with other forms of joint dominion over territory. This Part proceeds, therefore, to distinguish condominium from these other arrangements. Next, Part III discusses how experiences with common property regimes over common resources (such as water supplies) might inform the contemporary use of condominium. Finally, informed by lessons articulated in Parts I through III, Part IV …

The Evolution And Utilization Of The Gatt/Wto Dispute Settlement Mechanism, Pao-Li Chang

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper provides a theoretical framework of dispute settlement to explain the surge in blocking incidence of GATT panel reports during the 1980s and the variations in withdrawn incidence versus total disputes across different decades of the GATT regime. The study first suggests the role of the degree of legal controversy over a panel ruling in determining countries' incentives to block (appeal) a panel report under the GATT (WTO) regime. The study then analyzes the effects of political power on countries' incentives to use, and their interactions in using, the dispute settlement mechanism, when two-sided asymmetric information exists regarding panel …

Settlement Of Disputes Under The United States-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, David A. Gantz

ExpressO

The U.S. – Central America – Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement is one of nearly a dozen post-NAFTA FTAs that have been concluded by the United States since 2000 with nations in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. All of these newer agreements are based on NAFTA, but they differ in significant respects, particularly in the chapters relating to dispute settlement. The changes reflect, most significantly, U.S. government experience with NAFTA dispute settlement, particularly with regard to actions brought by private investors against the United States and other NAFTA governments under NAFTA’s investment protection provisions (Chapter 11). However, they …

The Lack Of Dissent In Wto Dispute Settlement: Is There A “Unanimity” Problem?, Meredith Kolsky Lewis

ExpressO

This article is the first piece of scholarship to analyze in detail the fact that there has been almost no dissent in World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement reports. The article first examines the empirical data with respect to dissenting and concurring opinions at both the panel and Appellate Body levels. Fewer than five percent of panel reports and two percent of Appellate Body reports contain separate opinions of any kind. It second shows that the WTO is in fact actively discouraging dissents, and discusses why this might be the case. The article argues that dissents are valuable in general, …

The Sutherland Report And Dispute Settlement, Mark L. Movsesian

Faculty Publications

Ten years after the organization's founding, an air of disappointment surrounds the WTO. The great promise of a global trade regime, dedicated to the principle of comparative advantage, seems to have stalled. The Doha Development Round, launched in 2001 in an attempt to redeem the disastrous Seattle Ministerial Conference of 1999, has been stymied by familiar disputes between North and South, mostly with respect to agricultural issues, but with respect to nonagricultural market access and services as well. Frustrated by impasses at the WTO, members have increasingly bypassed the organization in favor of discrete "preferential trade agreements", or PTAs, that …

Let's Stick Together (And Break With The Past): The Use Of Economic Analysis In Wto Dispute Litigation, Petros C. Mavroidis

Faculty Scholarship

The treatment of a number of issues that are being routinely discussed in WTO dispute settlement practice could benefit substantially, were economists to be institutionally implicated in the process. As things stand, the participation of economists in dispute settlement proceedings is infrequent and erratic: for all practical purposes, it depends on the discretion of WTO adjudicating bodies. There is indirect evidence that recourse to such expertise has been made, albeit on very few occasions. Institutional reforms are necessary; otherwise, it seems unlikely that the existing picture will change in the near future. A look into ongoing negotiations on the DSU …

A Mirage In The Sand? Distinguishing Binding And Non-Binding Relations Between States, Christine M. Chinkin

Book Chapters

The article discusses the two decisions (thus far) of the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain, especially its consideration of when an internationally binding agreement has come into existence. The Court's willingness to infer a legally binding agreement, regardless of the intentions of at least one of the parties, appears to displace the primacy of consent it has emphasized in its earlier jurisprudence. The decision seems to hold states bound by informal commitments, an approach that might inhibit open negotiations between states and undermine genuine attempts to pre-empt disputes …

The Case For Tradable Remedies In Wto Dispute Settlement, Kyle Bagwell, Petros C. Mavroidis, Robert W. Staiger

Faculty Scholarship

In response to concerns over the efficacy of the WTO dispute settlement system, especially in regard to its use by developing countries, Mexico has tabled a proposal to introduce tradable remedies within the Dispute Settlement Understanding. The idea is that a country that has won cause before the WTO, and who is facing non-implementation by the author of the illegal act but feels that its own capacity to exercise its right to impose countermeasures is unlikely to lead to compliance, can auction off that right. The attractiveness of this idea is that it offers an additional possibility to injured WTO …

Policy Recommendations For Dispute Prevention And Dispute Settlement In Transatlantic Relations: Legal Perspectives, George A. Bermann

Faculty Scholarship

The concrete case studies and general policy analyses that were the subject of inquiry in the conferences culminating in the present volume have predictably generated a series of distinctly legal – as well as political – reflections on dispute prevention and dispute settlement in the transatlantic arena. One of the merits of the dual (concrete and abstract) approach that has been adopted for these conferences is its capacity to provide a check against the risks that would result either from divorcing this study from the realities of disputes or from relying exclusively on potentially idiosyncratic dispute scenarios. The recommendations to …

The Evolution And Utilization Of The Gatt/Wto Dispute Settlement Mechanism, Pao Li Chang

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper attempts to study the usage of the GATT/WTO dispute settlement mechanism and to explain its patterns across different regimes and decades, using a unified theoretical model. This study first explores the role of the degree of legal controversy over a panel ruling in determining countries’ incentives to block/appeal a panel report under the GATT/WTO regime. The model is able to explain the surge in blocking incidence during the 1980s over the preceding GATT years and the immense frequency at which the new appellate procedure under the WTO is invoked. Furthermore, a two-sided asymmetric information framework is used to …

Commercial Arbitration In The U.S.: The Arbitrability Of Disputes Arising From Statute-Based Claims, Sylvie Frankignoul

LLM Theses and Essays

A leading contemporary expert in arbitration has explained: "The concept of arbitrability determines the point at which the experience of contractual freedom ends and the public mission of adjudication begins. In effect, it establishes a dividing line between the transactional pursuit of private rights and courts' role as custodians and interpreters of the public interest." 1 A major part of the arbitrability doctrine deals with the kind of claims that can fall within the scope of agreements for private dispute resolution. Arbitration clauses are an integral part of the parties' transactions. Nevertheless, the American judiciary historically has refused to enforce …

Arbitral Situs: Considerations And Consequences, Rajdeep Singh

LLM Theses and Essays

It is the law of the forum that is applicable to matters like arbitrability of the dispute, the validity of the arbitration agreement, the jurisdiction of the arbitrators, their appointment, removal and replacement and the challenge to their authority. Apart from these matters the law of the arbitral situs also governs the conflict of laws rules applicable to the dispute. Though the principle of party autonomy allows the parties to agree to a procedural law other than that of the arbitral situs, they still have to comply with the mandatory provisions of the law of the venue. In case they …

Procedural Issues In Wto Dispute Resolution, Peter Lichtenbaum

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article identifies particularly significant procedural issues that are arising in WTO dispute resolution and comments on the possible evolutionary paths of the law. This task requires that the article strike a balance between breadth of coverage and depth of coverage. As a result, the article does not aim to provide a complete discussion of all aspects of the WTO dispute resolution system and generally does not discuss issues that have not been addressed by WTO panels. The article does not seek to provide an exhaustive analysis of each issue discussed, and therefore deals briefly with the background under the …

Should Unclos Or Gatt/Wto Decide Trade And Environment Disputes?, Lakshman D. Guruswamy

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Promise Of The United Nations Convention On The Law Of The Sea (Unclos): Justice In Trade And Environment Disputes, Lakshman Guruswamy

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Wto Legal System: Sources Of Law, David Palmeter, Petros C. Mavroidis

Faculty Scholarship

Modern discussions of the sources of international law usually begin with a reference to Article 38 (1) of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which provides:

The Court, whose function is to decide in accordance with international law such disputes as are submitted to it, shall apply:

1. international conventions, whether general or particular, establishing rules expressly recognized by the contesting states;
2. international custom as evidence of a general practice accepted as law;
3. the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations;
4. subject to the provisions of Article 59, judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly …

The Dispute Settlement Systems Of Wto And Nafta - Analysis And Comparison, Patrick Specht

LLM Theses and Essays

The aim of this thesis is to determine whether the dispute settlement institutions of the WTO and the NAFTA meet the standard, to compare the two systems, and to evaluate them. An issue that should be dealt with first is the question of comparability. Is it possible to compare the WTO and the NAFTA regarding their conflict resolution procedures? Or are they too different because one agreement works on the global level and the other on a regional one? Their institutions and their scope may differ, but they are still conducive to comparison because the underlying structure of these two …

Of Substantial Interest: Third Parties Under Gatt, Chi Carmody

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article's examination of the status of third parties under GATT is important for several reasons, one of which is the proliferation of third party participation as demonstrated by Bananas III. A second reason for its importance is that there has been little written about third parties under GATT. This neglect stands in sharp contrast to ample literature on the related subject of greater public participation in the WTO. The oversight could be a function of GATT dispute resolution, which did not always enjoy the level of public attention it garners today. Until recently the GATT system handled no …

The Limits Of Economic Power: Section 301 And The World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement System, C. O'Neal Taylor

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Since World War 1I, the United States has sought trade liberalization through the use of multilateral and unilateral actions under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, respectively. Unilateralism by the United States has involved the forceful opening of foreign markets by the threat of sanctions, such as blocking access to the U.S. market. Such unilateral actions led the world trading system into the most recent multilateral negotiations, the Uruguay Round. As a result, the United States conceded to an effort to achieve trade liberalization through the expansion of GATT …

The Role Of The Organization Of African Unity (Oau) In Regional Conflict Resolution And Dispute Settlement, Peter Mweti Munya

LLM Theses and Essays

The emergence of an artificially constructed modern state with internal contradictions, sophisticated state apparatus, and weaponry, coupled with external forces has made Africa one of the most unstable regions in the world, and peace prospects a daunting task. The post-cold war era punctuated by forces of economic liberalization and dominance of the Breton Woods institutions in the economic management of the developing countries has not only accelerated the economic marginalization of Africa placing her at the fringes of the global economy but also wrought insecurity in their wake. This post-cold war and serves to emphasize the need for the OAU …

Reformulated Gasoline Under Reformulated Wto Dispute Settlement Procedures: Pulling Pandora Out Of A Chapeau?, Jeffrey Waincymer

Michigan Journal of International Law

Part I of the article begins by outlining existing GATT/WTO provisions concerning trade-related environmental measures which were relevant to the Reformulated Gasoline case. Part II then outlines the facts in the dispute and gives a brief introduction to the decisions at the Panel and Appellate Body stages. Part III deals with the present and potential implications for the appellate process in terms of the substance of the dispute, the methodology and procedure adopted, and the wider issues that the case brings to attention. This Part also addresses some of the theoretical and practical issues that affect the question of the …

The World Trade Organization: A New Legal Order For World Trade?, Thomas J. Dillon Jr.

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article will describe in some detail the most dramatic modifications within the framework of the multilateral trading system designed to support the projected trade expansion, namely, the new organizational structure under the WTO and the new dispute settlement procedures. The article will evaluate these changes against the backdrop of the Bretton Woods System as originally conceived and will highlight the debate surrounding whether the nature of the trade regulating body ought to be adjudicatory or negotiatory. Finally, the author offers conclusions, perspectives, and comments regarding the future development of the world trading system.

Can Buckley Clear Customs?, Harold H. Bruff

Publications

No abstract provided.

Strategy And Compliance With Bilateral Trade Dispute Settlement Agreements: Ustr's Section 301 Experience In The Pacific Basin, Michael P. Ryan

Michigan Journal of International Law

The paper is laid out in five parts. First, the conceptual linkages among strategy, goals, and agreement compliance are developed. Second, the study research design and findings are reported. Third, the strategy of trade dispute settlement negotiation is discussed with regard to bureaucratic politics. Fourth, case evidence that illustrates the key study findings is reviewed. Finally, effective monitoring and the notion of unilateral surveillance within the context of the present GATT-based, multilateral trading system are explored.

Contemporary Efforts To Guarantee Indigenous Rights Under International Law, Andre Lawrey

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article examines recent attempts to improve international standards governing the rights of indigenous peoples. In this context, Ms. Lawrey analyzes the Australian Government's 1988 commitment to negotiate a treaty with Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Ms. Lawrey discusses the strained relationship between international law and indigenous peoples. At present, indigenous groups are not guaranteed special rights under international law. Furthermore, traditional individual rights are inadequate to effectively protect indigenous land rights and the right to self-determination. Ms. Lawrey identifies developments in indigenous rights since World War II, including International Labor Organization Convention Number 107 (Convention 107) and …

Management And Marketing Of Indian Water: From Conflict To Pragmatism, David H. Getches

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Iran-United States Claims Tribunal 1981-1983, Lori Fisler Damrosch

Faculty Scholarship

It is in the nature of publishing schedules that this volume of papers presented at a colloquium in April of 1983 was printed in 1984, distributed in 1985, and reviewed in an issue to appear in early 1986. Those who have actively followed the work of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal are necessarily familiar with a large portion of the contents of this book. Not only were three of the seven chapters previously published elsewhere, but much of the descriptive and some of the analytical material throughout the book has been dealt with in a more timely fashion in the …

Rhetoric And Reality In The Dispute Settlement Movement, Frederick E. Snyder

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Efforts to demystify and simplify the way disputes are settled in American society seem to have congealed into a nationwide movement within less than a decade: neighborhood justice centers, arbitration, divorce mediation, no-fault auto insurance, do-it-yourself probate, "plain English" land and rental agreements, government ombudsmen, consumer hot lines, community mediation of minor criminal cases. A growth industry, if there ever was one

The Need To Utilize International Arbitration, Gerald Aksen

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

I have been asked to discuss how to convince United States businessmen of the need for utilizing international arbitration. Basically, however, there is a realistic need for this well recognized form of alternative dispute settlement. Primarily, international arbitration affords companies the ability to avoid the uncertainties and complexities of foreign litigation. I found it interesting that Professor Vagts used the word "paradox" in referring to the existence of both the lack of effective treaties on the enforcement of foreign judgments and the host of treaties on the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. Why is it a paradox? International arbitration was …

Retaliation Or Arbitration – Or Both: The 1978 United States-France Aviation Dispute, Lori Fisler Damrosch

Faculty Scholarship

It began as a very small dispute. Pan American World Airways planned to introduce a service from San Francisco to Paris with a stop in London, using a Boeing 747 aircraft from San Francisco to London and a smaller Boeing 727 aircraft from London to Paris. The change to a smaller plane would have enabled the most efficient and economic use of Pan Am's fleet. In aviation as in railroad terminology, a change along a route to equipment of a different size is called a "change of gauge."

In accordance with French law, Pan Am filed a schedule on February …