Introduction

Subject(s):

Investor — General principles of international law — Arbitration

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the general principles of law (GPL) in international investment arbitration. Until very recently, scholars had a limited interest with regard to the question of GPL in international investment law. The GPL are important in today's investment arbitration: these rules represent the applicable legal regime of protection in the absence of any bilateral investment treaty (BIT). GPL also continue to play an important role in general international law. This book thus aims to provide the different actors involved in investor–State arbitration as well as other stakeholders with sets of comprehensive guidelines to better understand the nature, the meaning, and the function of GPL in the field of international investment law.