Increasingly, international commercial arbitration has come to resemble the judicial process it was intended to replace, especially in terms of speed, costs and efficiency. Arbitration institutions worldwide have adopted rules or procedures to expedite the arbitral process to address these concerns. This book brings together thirty-one distinguished practitioners, academics and experts in the field from around the world to consider in nineteen chapters how these policies and procedures, including the 2021 UNCITRAL Expedited Arbitration Rules, operate and affect international commercial arbitration, investor-State arbitration and mediation.

This book presents diverse and rich perspectives on the variety of methods adopted to provide an expeditious and cost-effective means for dispute resolution while recognizing the due process risks involved. Its comprehensive analysis of the case for expedited arbitration and the principles underpinning it covers such aspects as:

expedited arbitration rules adopted by major arbitration institutions;
expedited arbitration rules in the ‘ad hoc’ (non-institutional) context, including the UNCITRAL Expedited Arbitration Rules and UNCITRAL model clauses;
expedited arbitration rules in various geographic regions, including China, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, focusing on specific jurisdictions in each region;
new ICSID rules on mediation of investor-State disputes; and
expedited arbitration-mediation (Arb-Med) in the Far East, focusing on Macau.

Arbitrators and parties to international agreements will gain a greater understanding of the issues, options, and consequences that may result from expedited arbitration. Practitioners will benefit from guidance in drafting arbitration clauses and in weighing the advantages and disadvantages of expedited arbitration procedures in various jurisdictions. The insights in this book will benefit international commercial arbitration as its stakeholders seek to return international commercial arbitration to its foundational underpinnings: a prompt, efficacious and cost-effective means of resolving commercial disputes.