Lawyers involved in international commercial transactions know well that that unforeseen events affecting the performance of a party often arise. Not surprisingly, exemptions for non-performance are dealt with in a significant number of arbitral awards. This very useful book thoroughly analyzes contemporary approaches, particularly as manifested in case law, to the scope and content of the principles of exemption for non-performance which are commonly referred to as ‘force majeure’ and ‘hardship.’
The author shows that the ‘general principles of law’ approach addresses this concern most effectively. Generally accepted and understood by the business world at large, this approach encompasses principles of international commercial contracts derived from a variety of legal codes. Its most important ‘restatements’ are found in the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and two ‘soft law’ codifications of international commercial contract law: the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts and the European Principles of Contract Law (PECL).