FAS

International Investment Agreements, and More from CRS

05.01.13 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

The international agreements that constitute the infrastructure of international trade and investment are spotlighted in an informative new report from the Congressional Research Service.

“In the absence of an overarching multilateral framework on investment, bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and investment chapters in free trade agreements (FTAs), collectively referred to as ‘international investment agreements,’ have emerged as the primary mechanism for promoting a rules-based system for international investment,” the new report explains.

“Presently, there are over 3,000 BITs globally. The United States has concluded 47 BITs, 41 of which have entered into force.”  These treaties were tabulated by CRS and presented along with other little-known data on the subject in U.S. International Investment Agreements: Issues for Congress, April 29, 2013.

Other new or newly updated CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include the following.

Mountaintop Mining: Background on Current Controversies, April 29, 2013

National Park System: Establishing New Units, April 25, 2013

The Administrative Process by Which Groups May Be Acknowledged as Indian Tribes by the Department of the Interior, April 26, 2013

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Reform: An Overview of Proposals to Reduce the Growth in SSDI Rolls, April 29, 2013

Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues, April 26, 2013