The Impact of Amicus Curiae Briefs in the Settlement of Trade and Investment Disputes : An Analysis of the Shrimp/Turtle and Methanex Decisions

The aim of this paper is to explore the interactions between international economic law and civil society. The starting point is to analyse the role of international economic law in facilitating the “competition of systems” (principally by reducing barriers to international trade and investment) and to highlight the implications of international economic law for civil society (mostly focusing on the non-economic values affected by international economic law). Focusing on the Shrimp/Turtle and Methanex disputes (concerning environmental protection and public health) brought under the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the North-America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), respectively, the study examines the role and impact that civil society has on the application of international economic law and in balancing economic and non-economic values