Abstract
Security exceptions are aimed at ensuring a margin of discretion for the adoption of sovereign decisions in questions of national security. To-date, most States consistently incorporate such exceptions into their economic treaties. Yet, treaty language has changed over time. At least three generations of security exceptions can be identified in post-Second World War trade and investment agreements. These generations broadly reflect attitudes towards trade liberalization and international decision-making, which prevailed in different historic settings.
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- 1.
Cf United States—Steel and Aluminium Products, DS544 (China), DS547 (India), DS548 (European Union), DS550 (Canada), DS551 (Mexico), DS552 (Norway), DS554 (Russian Federation), DS556 (Switzerland) and DS564 (Turkey).
- 2.
Cf. Deutsche Telekom AG v India, Interim Award (13 December 2017) PCA Case No. 2014-10.
- 3.
On the increasing use of national security exceptions in international treaties see Henckels (2019), 321 (particularly referring to investment treaties).
- 4.
For this terminology see Hahn (1991), 589 (particularly referring to Article XXI of the GATT).
- 5.
On the problem of balance see generally Cann (2001), 414 et seq (specifically addressing Article XXI of the GATT).
- 6.
On the need for different standards of review cf. Eisenhut (2010), 433 et seq and 457 et seq.
- 7.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Art. XXI(b).
- 8.
Cf. particularly the examples presented in Chap. 4.
References
Cann WA (2001) Creating standards and accountability for the use of the WTO security exception: reducing the role of power-based relations and establishing a new balance between sovereignty and multilateralism. Yale J Int Law 26(2):413–485
Eisenhut D (2010) Sovereignty, national security and international treaty law: the standard of review of international courts and Tribunals with regard to security exceptions. AVR 48(4):431–466
Hahn M (1991) Vital interests and the law of GATT: an analysis of GATT’s security exception. Mich J Int Law 12:558–620
Henckels C (2019) Investment treaty security exceptions, necessity and self-defense in context of armed conflict. In: Fach Gómez K, Gourgourinis A, Titi C (eds) international investment law and the law of armed conflict. Springer, Cham, pp 319–340
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Mantilla Blanco, S., Pehl, A. (2020). Introduction. In: National Security Exceptions in International Trade and Investment Agreements. SpringerBriefs in Law. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38125-7_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38125-7_1
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