Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Law was a leading participant and partner in a recent International Economic Law (IEL) online workshop in collaboration with the Athens Public International Law Centre (Athens PIL) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and City University of Hong Kong School of Law. The event celebrated the launch of the special issue of the World Trade Review (WTR) (Cambridge University Press) on ‘Domestic Investment Laws and International Economic Law in the Liberal International Order’ (Volume 22 - Special Issue 1 - February 2023) co-edited by Dr. Julien Chaisse, Professor at CityU Hong Kong, and Dr. Georgios Dimitropoulos, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at HBKU College of Law.

During the webinar held on June 19, the discussion focused on how domestic law plays an increasingly important role in regulating foreign investment. This provided a platform for participants to examine the transition from international to domestic law with a focus on Domestic Investment Laws.

The workshop commenced with opening remarks from Susan Karamanian, Dean of the College of Law at HBKU, Dr. Linos-Alexandros Sicilianos, Dean of the School of Law, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Dr. Photini Pazartzis, Director, Athens PIL, and Constantine G. Karamanlis Chair of Hellenic and European Studies, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

The event was chaired by Dr. Anastasios Gourgourinis, Assistant Professor of International Law at Athens PIL. The WTR was represented by Dr. Mona Paulsen, Assistant Professor of Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Law School. Dr. Dimitropoulos introduced the special issue, and the discussions were led by Professor M Sornarajah, Emeritus Professor at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law, Dr. Kehinde Olaoye, Post-Doctoral Researcher at CityU Hong Kong, and Dr. Taylor St John, Lecturer at the School of International Relations, University of St Andrews.

Speaking after the workshop, Dean Karamanian said: “Our participation in this event fully reflects the College of Law’s commitment to employing innovative and comparative approaches to the analysis of contemporary legal studies. While IEL has regulated cross-border trade and investment since the end of the Second World War, the 2008 financial crisis and COVID-19 are among a series of global events that have brought this role into question. This workshop provided the perfect opportunity to analyze the current state of play and future trajectory of domestic investment laws and international economic law in an increasingly uncertain international system.”