International Investment Agreements: 'Inside and Outside Agreements'

Abstract

International investment agreements (IIAs) are of great importance to investors, or at least they should be, to investors who want to be knowledgeable about how IIAs can protect against risks.
Types of agreements that this article will look at are the following:
1. Bilateral investment treaties;
2. Bilateral Free trade agreements;
3. Regional free trade agreements;
4. Investment treaties made between a regional grouping and another state;
5. Investment treaties made between two regional groupings.

The article discusses the major regional groupings: ASEAN, EU, CARICOM, OAS as well as others. It suggests reasons why it is important for investors to understand how being inside a grouping (inside agreements) can have great advantages to the investor, and that being inside a grouping which also has agreements with other regional groups or individual states (Outside agreements) is also important to understand.

The article also provides information on the international development banks relevant to each regional grouping, as well as human rights courts in those groupings that investors should be aware of.