From Investment to Enforcement in the CIS Region: Trends, Tensions, and the California Connection

Presentation

This panel will examine the latest developments in the enforcement of international investment arbitral awards arising from the CIS region, with a particular focus on Russia, Central Asia, South Caucasus, and related jurisdictions.

Rather than offering a purely descriptive recap, the discussion will explore emerging enforcement trends, how courts across different jurisdictions are responding to sanctions, public policy arguments, sovereign resistance, and procedural challenges, and whether these developments represent temporary disruption or a longer-term shift in the global investment arbitration landscape. The panel will also discuss the trend from ISDS to commercial arbitration, particularly given the high percentage of infrastructure and energy/mining disputes.

A central theme of the discussion will be the growing role of California and U.S. courts in the enforcement of CIS-region investment awards. Given California’s large and sophisticated business community—with deep ties to Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the former Soviet Union—the panel will analyze how California has become an increasingly important forum for enforcement strategy, asset tracing, and judgment recognition.

*Cocktail reception to follow*