A series of recent trade developments again raises  the importance of international rules and international judicial institutions to the functioning of the global trading system in an orderly way. (Domestic courts are also important.) This is occurring in an increasingly disorderly international political system. This time it involves primarily the Russian Federation. An international arbitral tribunal (the Permanent Court of International Arbitration in the Hague)  ruled against it and the European Court of Human Rights also ruled against it.

     Issues concerning the Bali Agreements, raised again by India, also highlights the need to update rules of global commerce and opposition to it. The U.S. continues to exercise its extraterritorial jurisdiction in litigation raising questions of abuse of domestic courts, so  some critics argue. China is also using its domestic courts against foreign technology companies under its antitrust laws.

     Here are the particulars: