Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 1998. / Title from web page (viewed on Mar. 22, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

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This thesis analyses the conundrum at the intersection of (i) recognition, (ii) enforcement, and (iii) execution of investment treaty arbitral awards pursuant to the ICSID convention. Orienting between recognition, enforcement, and execution  has recently stirred quite some debate. This culminates in the question of, on the one hand, whether it is necessary to differentiate between “enforcement” and “execution” in light of the plea of  sovereign immunity, and how to do so, on the other hand. In this context, the concept of sovereign immunity in general and as a potential objection within the ICSID enforcement proceedings will be analysed in particular. This thesis does so by analysing scholarly work, the ICSID history and as a result of municipal case law vis-à-vis sovereign immunity and ICSID enforcement. A particular emphasis will be put on statutory interpretations, for example on ICSID enforcement regime and its terminology. In this light, a terminological analysis of language is instrumental given that the ICSID convention has three original languages.

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published_or_final_version / Law / Master / Doctor of Legal Studies

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Merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions have increased dramatically both in number and volume around the world in the last decades. Further to these increases, disputes regarding M&A transactions are often referred to arbitration as a consensual and private mechanism which is flexible, given the freedom of the parties to select arbitrators and to adjust the process according to their needs. This study undertakes to address and examine the long and complex processes in merger and acquisition transactions in light of the emerging preference for utilising arbitration in disputes arising therein. Therefore, M&A arbitration faces certain difficulties in coping with every dispute during the transaction, a number of which the author seeks to underline. In the thesis, two main problems of arbitration in M&A Transactions have been covered. Firstly, the problem of consent in consolidation of parallel proceedings during M&A transactions, and, secondly, parties consent validating arbitration agreements/clauses in “assignment” or “succession” after M&A transactions have been completed. The very approach of the thesis proposes whether academic analysis of the subject matter can be best conducted by separation along the many phases of the long and complex process of M&A and whether it is fruitful to examine these phases individually to obtain the greatest insight. Following the dissection of the different phases of M&A transactions, the nature and operation of arbitration in possible disputes arising out of different phases of M&A has been studied. It is also argued that the utilisation of arbitration will and should provide some ideas toward clarifying the content of consent of parties to a transaction. In demarcating the phases and critical stages in M&A transactions, perspective of the problems posed by parallel proceedings is enhanced. Developing on this rich background, argument develops the idea that the logic of consolidation in arbitration and can have pragmatic application to different alternative dispute resolution (ADR) clauses too. The expansive application of consent in M&A arbitration will be tested against those different ADR methods which do not have a binding effect. On the subject of consolidation in M&A transactions, it will be argued that it is necessary not only to focus on the intention of parties, but it is also unavoidable to concentrate on surrounding relevant facts arising in different phases of M&A transactions, given the recent doctrinal developments in academia and practice. Diverging views which have emerged in order to determine consent are explored alongside their respective theories of consent. The specific importance of consent in the transfer of arbitration agreements has been examined in respect of assignment and succession. The existing rules and approaches outlined in many publications will be challenged, and arguments against their automatic application in M&A transactions will be presented in favour of an expansive approach paying attention to the fluency of facts, similar to that employed in consolidation of parallel proceedings. In examining whether current regulation is suitable given the popular emergence of M&A arbitration, the author will propose how deficiencies and inconsistencies in the area can be rectified looking forward in the form of guidelines.

There are currently no rules in international commercial arbitration law and practice assuring the coordination between (partial or final) arbitral awards and/or national court judgments rendered in identical or related cases. This lack of coordination is unsatisfactory, particularly in light of the ever-growing tendency of parties to submit their commercial disputes to international arbitration and the increasing complexity of international arbitration. Today, international commercial transactions and the disputes to which they give rise regularly involve multiple parties, contracts and issues. As a consequence, these disputes (or certain aspects of these disputes) are increasingly tried in multiple fora. In such circumstances, difficult issues regarding the res judicata effects of prior judgments or awards are likely to arise before international commercial arbitral tribunals. The central hypothesis underlying this research is that transnational principles of res judicata should be elaborated for international commercial arbitral tribunals. This solution is justified for several reasons. First, it is justified given the differences among domestic laws regarding res judicata and the difficulties surrounding the formulation of appropriate conflict-of-laws rules. Second, it avoids inappropriate analogies between international arbitration proceedings and litigation. Finally, the solution provides guidance and ensures a certain degree of fairness, certainty and predictability, which is expected by arbitration users. This PhD thesis seeks to achieve its aims in two stages: Part One examines the doctrine of res judicata in litigation, analysing the doctrine as applied in different domestic laws, as well as in private and public international law. Part Two will determine whether and to what extent the res judicata doctrine may be applied by international commercial arbitral tribunals. It will demonstrate that transnational principles of res judicata should be elaborated and will seek to formulate such principles.

Arbitrations involving states and foreign private parties are a complex phenomenon, sharing certain animating values with other forms of adjudication, particularly international arbitrations of private commercial disputes, but reflecting at the same time singular values that must be fostered if the institution is to play a beneficial role in the international community. A study of institutional forms of arbitration designed primarily to resolve commercial disputes between private parties reveals that their emphasis upon stability and upon the certainty and predictability of rules can make such institutions inappropriate for the arbitration of disputes involving states. Regimes designed specifically to regulate arbitrations between states and foreign private entities may be more successful in displaying sensitivity to the needs and aspirations of both public and private parties, but the work of the largest specialised institution, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, is hampered by its governing Treaty for it does not deal adequately with the enforcement of awards against states. Ad hoc arbitration continues to be a useful means of resolving commercial disputes between states and foreign private parties, especially because the parties are free to design or to choose a delocalised procedural law which need not hinder enforcement. The great difficulty with all forms of arbitration between states and private entities is the substantive law to be applied by such tribunals. Under the principle of the autonomy of the will, the parties are free to choose the governing law, and they may select international law. If they do so, however, the choice does not imply that the foreign private party is assimilated to a state or that the international responsibility of the state party is engaged directly vis-a-vis the private party. The enforcement of arbitral awards is also a troubling problem, but recent municipal case law reveals a growing pro-enforcement bias. Nevertheless, the experience of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal reveals the significant advantages that accrue to the parties if they agree in advance upon an independent enforcement mechanism. The political tensions inherent in most "mixed" arbitrations demand flexibility in the application of procedural and substantive rules, and require an approach to dispute resolution that emphasises the value of compromise. As such, the awards that emerge from mixed arbitrations are likely to be idiosyncratic or, at the very least, vague. Nevertheless, if one stresses the importance of process values rather than the elaboration of substantive rules, arbitration between states and foreign private parties can play an important role in the enhancement of the international rule of law.

This thesis is an extensive analysis of commercial arbitration within Islamic Jurisprudence, clarifying its rules starting with the fundamentals of its origins which are based on the Quran, Sunna, Consensus and Analogy. The opinions of scholars from various schools of Islamic Jurisprudence are discussed so that the most appropriate ones can be used in support of the thesis in relation to the current epoch. These opinions will be linked to modem arbitration legislation, both international and local, in an attempt to discover the similarities and differences between them and the extent to which international and local legislation is related to the acceptance of arbitration from the perspective of Islamic Jurisprudence. The thesis will also analyse the legal aspects of the 1983 Saudi Arbitration Law and its 1985 Implementation Rules so as to discover the extent of the role of Islamic Commercial Arbitration in the Saudi Arabian context. It will also show the need for further ratification in this sphere in order to develop the Saudi Arbitration Law so as to encourage more foreign investment and achieve more efficiency and harmony within international commercial arbitration. Chapter one will deal with the definition of arbitration and its legality within Islamic Jurisprudence. Chapter two will discuss the pillars of the arbitration contract and endeavour to answer the question of women's role in arbitration and also to what extent non-Muslims can be arbitrators in various situations. Chapter three will focus on Islamic arbitration proceedings. Chapter four will deal with arbitral awards, their definitions, interpretations, components and corrections. It will also clarify some misunderstood points and concepts about Islamic Jurisprudence. Chapter five will explain the system of challenging arbitral awards and the extent to which they can be examined within Islamic Jurisprudence. It will also focus on challenges in Saudi Arbitration Law. Chapter six will explain the recognition and enforcement of national and foreign arbitral awards as they pertain to Islamic Jurisprudence and Saudi Arbitration Law. Suggestions resulting from this analysis will be outlined in the conclusion of this thesis.