Introduction to International Trade & Investment Law

Course Description

This course covers the key obligations, principles, structure, and design of international trade regimes, specifically the WTO and related free trade agreements, including those to which CARICOM Member States are party. The course will cover the main principles appearing in the WTO Agreements, as well as the main subject areas in trade agreements, including goods, services, intellectual property, and trade remedies. The course will also introduce regional trade agreements, including the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, and examine the relationship between these agreements and the multilateral trading system.

In addition to international trade, the course covers the key obligations and principles under international investment agreements and provides a comparative review of the principles under these agreements. The course will also cover the dispute settlement regimes under the various international investment agreements, allowing for a comparison across agreements. Finally, the course will provide an avenue for reviewing contemporary issues in international economic law, such as the growth of free trade agreements and their impact on multilateralism, WTO reform, and reform of investor-state dispute settlement.