Notwithstanding certain burgeoning nationalist sentiments and brewing international trade wars, ours is a global economy that depends on the rule of law to function efficiently. For international trade to take place, both parties must have confidence in the ability to enforce contracts. And frequently the enforcement of international contracts involves the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards.

Foreign arbitral awards can be enforced in the United States through the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, commonly referred to as the “New York Convention,” and the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. Sections 201-208 (the FAA). The United States has been a contracting state of the New York Convention since 1970, and in total, 159 countries have signed the New York Convention. Arbitration awards from any of the signatory states can be entered as judgments and enforced in the United States in much the same way as domestic arbitral awards.