The Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal at 25

Book excerpt: The Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, which has been called the most significant arbitral body in history, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006. As of mid-2005, the Tribunal had issued over 800 awards and decisions--a total of 600 awards (including partial awards and awards on agreed terms), 83 interlocutory and interim awards, and 133 decisions--in resolving almost 3000 cases. The Tribunal's awards have been described as the most important body of international arbitration jurisprudence. The significance of these decisions as persuasive authority is second to none. In this volume, experts in the field identify and comment on the Tribunal awards that are most important for international arbitration; i.e., the cases that everyone needs to know for investor-state and international commercial arbitration. The book approaches the Tribunal's work from a forward-looking perspective with emphasis on the continuing usefulness of awards and decisions issued by the Tribunal in international arbitration practice. In addition to original contributions from an array of eminent authors (all of whom have extensive experience at the Tribunal and/or in investor-State and international arbitration), this book includes excerpts of key awards discussed in the contributions, as well as appendices with foundational documents for the Tribunal. CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE: Roger P. Alford, Pepperdine University School of Law, former Legal Assistant, Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal David J. Bederman, Emory Law School, former Legal Assistant, Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal David D. Caron, C. William Maxeiner Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley, former Legal Assistant, Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal Jack J. Coe, Jr. Pepperdine University School of Law, former Legal Assistant, Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal Christopher R. Drahozal, John M. Rounds Professor of Law, University of Kansas School of Law; former Legal Assistant, Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal Christopher S. Gibson, Suffolk University Law School; former Legal Assistant, Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal Mark R. Joelson, Law Office of Mark R. Joelson Lucinda A. Low, Steptoe & Johnson Andrea J. Menaker, Office of the Legal Advisor, U.S. Department of State Sean D. Murphy, George Washington University Law School, former U.S. Agent to the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal Daniel M. Price, Sidley Austin, former Deputy U.S. Agent to the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal Jeffrey F. Pryce, Steptoe & Johnson