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India Reviews Its Investment Treaty Model as Five-Year Arbitration Rule Comes Under Fresh Scrutiny

August 18, 2026 | International Arbitration | Investment Law India is reconsidering the framework governing its bilateral investment treaties at a time when governments around the world are attempting to strike an increasingly difficult balance between protecting foreign investment and preserving their own regulatory and judicial authority. Reuters reported on August 7, 2026 that the Indian government is reviewing its …

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Can a Foreign Investor Sue a Government? How Investor-State Arbitration Actually Works

A foreign investor can, in certain circumstances, bring an international arbitration directly against a sovereign government, but the proposition is considerably more qualified than the phrase “an investor can sue a country” suggests. International investment arbitration does not ordinarily give every foreign shareholder, corporation, contractor or entrepreneur an unrestricted right to challenge whatever government decision has reduced the value of …

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Why Governments Lose Billion-Dollar Investment Arbitration Cases

When an international arbitral tribunal orders a sovereign State to pay hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars to a foreign investor, the immediate political reaction is often framed around sovereignty: how can three arbitrators, sitting outside the country’s judicial system and possessing no democratic mandate from its citizens, impose a financial obligation capable of affecting public finances for …

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Reforming Investor–State Dispute Settlement: A System in Transition

​Investor–State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) has long been a cornerstone of international investment protection, designed to encourage cross-border investments by offering foreign investors a neutral forum to bring claims against host states. However, over the years, the system has faced increasing scrutiny over fairness, transparency, and its impact on national sovereignty. Today, ISDS reform has become one of the most critical …

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Expansion of Mobile Arbitration Platforms

The expansion of mobile arbitration platforms is set to revolutionize the field of international arbitration in the coming years. This trend is driven by the increasing ubiquity of mobile devices and the growing demand for flexible, accessible dispute-resolution mechanisms. As more people rely on smartphones and tablets for their professional and personal lives, integrating arbitration processes into these devices makes …

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Smart Contracts and International Arbitration: When Code Executes Before the Law Can Intervene

Smart contracts are often described as though they represent the end of legal uncertainty because they replace promises with computer code, intermediaries with automated execution, and post-breach enforcement with performance that occurs automatically once programmed conditions are satisfied. That description captures part of their attraction, but it also overstates what smart contracts actually accomplish and understates the legal problems they …

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Blockchain Technology and its Impact on Transparency in International Arbitration

Blockchain technology, initially popularized by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, is a decentralized and immutable digital ledger that records transactions across multiple computers in a way that ensures security and transparency. Each block in the chain contains a list of transactions linked to the previous block through cryptographic hashes. This technology’s decentralized nature eliminates the need for intermediaries, making transactions faster, cheaper, …

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Cybersecurity Measures in International Arbitration: Ensuring Data Protection and Privacy

In the digital age, the field of international arbitration has increasingly embraced technological advancements to streamline processes and improve efficiency. However, the integration of technology also brings heightened risks to data protection and privacy. This necessitates robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive information and maintain the integrity of arbitration proceedings. The Importance of Cybersecurity in Arbitration International arbitration often involves …

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Is the Issue of Tax Arbitrable? (Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. v. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation)

In a recent judgment between Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd v. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (decided on July 8, 2022, and cited as 19-3159 (L) (2d Cir. Jul. 8, 2022)), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (“appellate court”) unanimously affirmed the judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York …

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