This thesis analyses three issues raised by the application of the general principles of law to commercial arbitration. First, it is essential to assess the core and the substance of the general principles of law. Our first hypothesis purports that the UPICC reduces considerably the uncertainty of the general principles of law in international trade. Secondly, an analysis of the nature of the UPICC is needed, in order to determine whether they have the essential features of a transnational norm and can thus escape the application of national legal norms. We will thus analyse the existing mechanisms to assure the autonomy, of PUCCI, from national law. Thirdly, we will analyse the legitimacy of the UPICC. In doing so, we shall refer to the concept of reflexive legimitacy, a legitimacy obtained through the consensus of the merchant community. This reflexive legitimacy over the UPICC is generally admitted. Two rules within the UPICC, however, raise doubts and concerns over their acceptability in the merchants' community: the hardship and the gross disparity provisions. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Le principe de l'autonomie de la clause compromissoire est un principe ambigu qui renfenne plusieurs volets. Dans son premier sens, ce principe signifie que la clause arbitrale doit être appréciée d'une manière indépendante du contrat auquel elle se rapporte. Cette conception de l'autonomie a pour conséquences de mettre la convention d'arbitrage à l'abri des causes d'invalidités qui peuvent affecter le contrat principal ainsi que la possibilité d'être régie par un droit différent. Cependant, l'évolution du principe d'autonomie a dépassé les limites de cette conception en faisant surgir un autre volet, à savoir, la validité de la convention d'arbitrage indépendamment de toute 101 étatique. Cet autre aspect de l'autonomie signifie que l'existence et la validité de la clause compromissoire doivent être examinées au regard de règles matérielles spéciales, abstraction faite de tout conflit de lois, mais avec pour limites le respect des règles d'ordre public international. Par ailleurs, le rattachement de ce principe à certains effets de la convention d'arbitrage s'avère délicat. En effet, le principe d'autonomie se trouve souvent assorti d'un autre grand principe de l'arbitrage international qui est celui de la «compétence-compétence ». Les liens étroits qu'entretiennent les deux principes génèrent un risque d'amalgame entre deux règles qui sont en réalité différentes. Sur un autre plan, serait mis en cause, au nom de l'incohérence juridique, le pouvoir du principe d'autonomie de «coexister» avec une autre caractéristique de la clause compromissoire, à savoir, sa transmissibilité. Nous essayerons alors de clarifier cette articulation «douteuse». / The autonomy of the arbitration clause is an ambiguous principle which contains several shutters. It's sometimes used - traditionally - to refer that the arbitration clause must (agreement) be treated and appreciated separately from the main contract. This conception of autonomy gives rise to two consequences: first, the arbitration agreement is unaffected by the invalidity of the main contract and second, it may be governed by a Law different from that governing the main contract. However, the evolution of this traditional sense has given another shutter to the principal of the autonomy which refers to the arbitration agreement from "all national laws". This new concept of autonomy is entirely different and which means that the existence and the validity of the arbitration clause must be examined under special material mIes, isolating the arbitration agreement from the conflict of laws but with full respect to the international law. In addition, the link this principle has with certain effects of the arbitration agreement proves to be delicate. Indeed, the principle of autonomy is often associated with another principle of the international arbitration which is kompetenz-kompetenz. The close links that the two principles maintain generate a risk of amalgam between two mIes which are actually different. On another level, would be blamed, in the name of the legal inconsistency, the capacity of the principle of autonomy "of coexisting" with another characteristic of the arbitration clause, namely, its transmissibility. We will try to clarify this "doubtful" articulation. / "Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de maîtrise en droit (LL.M.) (Option: droit des affaires )"

L'arbitrage évolue parallèlement et en accord au développement du commerce et des relations internationales s'accompagnant d'un accroissement des différends commerciaux de plus en plus complexes et spécialisés. En choisissant l'arbitrage, les parties excluent, de manière consensuelle, la compétence juridictionnelle des tribunaux étatiques. Ce droit à l'accès aux tribunaux étatiques se retrouve notamment à la Charte québécoise des droits et libertés de la personne. La validité d'une convention d'arbitrage dépend donc avant tout de la preuve de son existence et la preuve du consentement des parties s'y rattachant. La nécessité de l'écrit est donc un moyen de s'assurer du consentement des parties. La Convention de New York de 1958 énumère plusieurs de ces principes de forme. Son article 11(2), qui prévoit que la convention d'arbitrage doit être par écrit, n'est plus adapté aux réalités juridiques et commerciales d'aujourd'hui ni au développement du commerce électronique. Que peut être considéré comme un écrit afin de répondre aux exigences de l'article 1I(2)? Abordée par la CNUDCI, cette problématique quant au formalisme requis dans l'expression de la volonté des parties à se soumettre à l'arbitrage est d'une importance capitale dans la mesure des différentes interprétations qui existent à ce sujet tant au niveau du droit québécois et canadien qu'au niveau du droit international. Une réforme des dispositions législatives quant au formalisme écrit du consentement à l'arbitrage doit être mise en place et ce, soit par une réforme des dispositions législatives existantes ou par une mise à jour officielle de l'interprétation donnée aux dispositions actuelles en vigueur. / Arbitration has evolved in parallel and in accordance with the development of commerce and of international relations coming along with the rise of commercial disputes which are becoming increasingly complex and specialised. By choosing arbitration, the parties consensually exclude the jurisdiction ofState courts. This right to access State courts is protected namely in the Charter ofHuman Rights and Freedoms. The validity of an arbitration clause therefore depends above all on the proof of its existence and of the consent of the parties to that effect. The necessity of the written form becomes a mean that insures of the consent of the parties. The 1958 New York Convention enumerates several of those formal requirements. !ts section 11(2), which states that the arbitration clause has to be in written form, is not adapted to today's legal and commercial reality nor to the development of electronic commerce. What exactly is considered as ''written'' in order to respect the requirements of section 1I(2)? As addressed by UNCITRAL, the issue concerning the formalism required for the expression of the parties' intent to be subjected to arbitration is of a vital importance. Numerous interpretations exist in Canadian law as well as in International law. A reform of the existing legal provisions relating to the consent of arbitration needs to be implemented, either through a reform of the existing provisions or through an official process to update the interpretation given to the requirements that are a1ready in place. / "Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l'obtention du grade de LL.M. en droit option droit des affaires"

The letter of credit continues to play an indispensable role in the financing and securing of international commercial transactions. Its usefulness and efficacy derives primarily from the fact that it is independent from the underlying relationship between buyer and seller. In a considerable number of cases, however, the independence of the letter of credit has been challenged as a result of fraud in the underlying transaction. After analyzing recent reforms of the regulatory framework governing letters of credit, this fraud exception to the independence principle will be reappraised in the light of current developments in Canada and the United States. Finally, the author argues that arbitration can and indeed should play an increasingly important role in the resolution of international letter of credit disputes involving fraud in the transaction.

In 1995 the WTO began functioning as an institution that aims at reducing the trade barriers between countries. The Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) is one of the numerous agreements that bind the WTO Members. The agreement embodies a mechanism to solve disputes which presents many obstacles to Developing Countries. This thesis seeks to shed light on the difficulties that Developing Countries commonly face when attempting to put forward a trade complaint. Taking into account the factors that cause the problematic situation, proposals for improvement are also given. Special attention is paid to the current negotiations to reform the DSU in the context of the Doha Round.

There is unanimity within the arbitration community that corruption is disrupting international trade and that arbitrators must not let arbitration be a safe forum for enforcement of contracts tainted by such illicit acts. Due to the hidden nature of corruption, often hiding behind an agency agreement, the most challenging question facing arbitrators has shown to be how to handle the rules of evidence. Awards show that there is an inconsistency in the treatment of the burden and standard of proof as well as the significance given to circumstantial evidence. Two trends can be spotted where the first approach is to argue that the seriousness of the accusations calls for a heightened standard of proof. The second trend is to argue that the seriousness to the contrary calls for a pragmatic approach to the rules of evidence, allowing a less rigid view on the standard of proof and use of circumstantial evidence or even a shift in the burden of proof. The focus of the thesis is on evidentiary aspects of corruption cases and how arbitrators have dealt with these challenges. The overall question is how arbitrators should handle the rules of evidence in corruption cases from a lege ferenda perspective. It is argued that the inconsistency in the handling of proof is sometimes misguided and that there are reasons to agree on a common starting point for applying the rules of evidence to corruption cases. Arbitrators should realise the frightening fact that it is their weighing of the evidence which is usually decisive for the outcome and accordingly there is a responsibility to conduct this operation carefully. The tools and procedural flexibility to reveal corruption exist even if there is no perfect solution on how to do it.

This master of Thesis presents advantages and disadvantages of resolving international private disputes in arbitration. Arbitration is a modern method of dealing with disputes, it is one of the form of alternative dispute resolution. International arbitration provides the parties to a dispute with the opportunite to obtain a decision from a judge or judges of their own choice. Arbitration obviates a public hearing in open court by judge. Lithuania has made significant steps towards a free market economy in past decade. Therefore there was an intensive development in the area of international commercial contracts. Furthermore the growing number of commercial disputes arose and development on international commercial arbitration laws was in the great need. Nevertheles the practice of local courts and recources of doctrine are very poor, that‘s the main motive to investigate advantages and disatvantages of resolving disputes in arbitration in this thesis. Dispute resolving in arbitration has more advantages than disatvantages. It is an effective and convenient technique of resoving international privatel disputes. Arbitration offers advantages over litigation as a way of enabling disputes to be resolved relatively quickly and simply without the need to go to court. The thesis is made of four parts. The first part presents international arbitration and procedure of international disputes resolution in arbitration. The second part analizes differences between arbitration and... [to full text]

A central feature of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is its Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM). Access to the DSM is presently limited to member governments; other entities such as NGOs are not eligible to be WTO Members and, consequently, are denied formal participation in the dispute settlement process. However, non-governmental entities have been afforded a limited opportunity to express their views through the submission of amicus briefs in dispute settlement proceedings. There are concerns, in particular on the part of Developing Countries, over the Appellate Body's authority to confer such a role to these entities. This paper aims to analyze the issues surrounding the status of non-governmental entities at the WTO level with respect to the DSM, how its Appellate Body is interpreting the law of the WTO, and how far the criticism of Developing Countries towards the Appellate Body's interpretation of WTO law is justified.

The notion of foreseeability is at the heart of contracts and is based on the notion of corrective justice with a normative content. The quantum of damages should represent the obligational content of the contract. The analysis of foreseeability shows the importance of reasonable expectations and implied obligations. The notion brings to light criteria which are congruent with the criteria of certainty and predictability underlying the rule of law.

Bibliography: leaves 417-464. / xii, 464 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Politics, 1995?