International Investment Law and General International Law: Comments on a Special Relationship

Abstract

This short note -- based on remarks delivered at a workshop in Cologne in 2019 -- reflects on the relationship between international investment law and general international law. It seeks to capture this relationship in three short themes: (i) International investment law is special, but embedded in general international law; (ii) General international law provides normative guidance for the interpretation and application of investment law; and (iii) Investment law, in some fields, could become a motor of general international legal developments.