International and Comparative Law

A main alternative put forward to the crisis of the multilateral trading system is a network of regional trade arrangements. Regional trade agreements are viewed as a potential alternative because they constitute one of the exceptions to the general non-discrimination rule under WTO agreements. Panelists' compared and contrasted these regional trade agreements to understand their efficacy.

The WTO’s Appellate Body, known as its “crown jewel,” recently became inoperative due to its ongoing vacancies after the U.S. administration refused to appoint new members. AUWCL hosted three practitioners and scholars from the field to give their opinions as to whether this appellate mechanism is really needed and whether it’s worth saving.

AUWCL Professor Paul Williams was instrumental in supporting successive governments of Macedonia and civil society in their goal to build a long-lasting peace between the country’s national minorities.

Furthering the Business Law Program’s wide-ranging initiatives designed to foster a deeper understanding of transformative financial technologies, AUWCL recently announced that it has begun offering one of the first virtual currency law courses in the country. This innovative course offering will delve into concerns about potential fraudulent activities, regulation, and the future of blockchain technology.

On October 1, 2021, UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret presented about UNCITRAL’s work on the reform of investor-state arbitration. The session was moderated by AUWCL Professor Susan Franck. UNCITRAL’s reform initiatives are laying out the roadmap for the future of investment arbitration.

On November 10 and 11, 2021, the AUWCL’s Center on International Commercial Arbitration and the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law held the “Symposium on International Arbitration: Does a Transnational Legal Order Exist in International Arbitration?” With the participation of some of the world’s leading voices in private international law as well as emerging scholars in the field, a total of twenty academics and practitioners from around the globe presented their research.