First Paragraph
The enforcement of international arbitral awards against sovereign states represents one of the most paradoxical and vexing challenges in contemporary international law. In theory, arbitral awards are final, binding, and directly enforceable, yet enforcement frequently fails when award-debtors invoke the defense of sovereign immunity, particularly immunity from execution.1 This enforcement dilemma, which Christoph Schreuer famously referred to as the “Achilles Heel” of investor-state dispute settlement (hereinafter “ISDS”), is the central theme of Ylli Dautaj’s ambitious and timely academic treatise, Sovereign Immunity from Execution and International Arbitration: Theory and Practice.
Recommended Citation
Taimoor R. Sultan, Bridging Theory and Practice: A Review of Sovereign Immunity from Execution and International Arbitration by Ylli Dautaj, 17 Arb. L. Rev. 72 (2026).