This highly topical volume presents pioneering research for the purpose of developing a common analytical foundation and framework for the emerging interdisciplinary research field of investment control. Long considered as exceptional measures, restrictions on inward foreign direct investments (FDI) have become ever more common and accepted. This book presents different perspectives on how decision-makers go about the tasks of assessing risks and threats to national security that may be posed by FDI and then balancing those risks and threats against economic interests of parties concerned and society at large.

This book explores how State capitalism affects and reshapes international investment law. It sheds new light on the various ways States actively influence business and commercial activity globally by using sovereign investors such as state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds or pension funds. With a diverse group of contributors from a broad range of countries, the book offers a fresh and timely look into the fundamentals of State capitalism, focusing in particular on its actors and processes, the contextual elements that surround it, and the new political economy that comes with it. The book is essential reading for researchers, regulators, policy makers, and practitioners interested in the different ways State capitalism challenges and changes international investment law. As geopolitical considerations increasingly affect global economic activity, delving into the intricacies of State capitalism has never been more timely.

This book discusses how the Covid pandemic has reshaped investment screening mechanisms, investment law and arbitration. Contributions from leading academics and practitioners offer a fresh perspective on the reform of the ISDS mechanism and investment treaties; security and public order risks in FDI screening; the application of treaty standards and customary law defences; and the critical role of scientific data in investment arbitration. With rare insights and unpublished data, this book is your essential guide to understanding the resilience of the investment regime in these challenging times.

Militarily, use of spacebased assets, when integrated with operations, assumes importance as one of the many force multipliers. As on date, outer space is being extensively used by the armed forces for varied services which include navigation, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, environmental monitoring and advance warning. The command and control in today’s netcentric environment also depends on space resources. Thus, the use of outer space with spacebased assets in support of military operations leads to the deduction that space as a medium stands militarised. Of late, many of the dominant nations have developed, or are expanding, capabilities to attack the spacebased assets of potential adversaries to disrupt command and control structures. Countries like the US and China are contesting for space supremacy and working towards developing spacebased weapons capable of being delivered from spacebased platforms. These developments, in turn, are infusing a sense of insecurity amongst other international players, including India, and have raised concerns worldwide. Development of spacebased weapons by any state has the potential to ignite a new arms race in space as many countries now possess the wherewithal for launching spacebased assets capable of carrying the required payloads. Thus, from the present capability of ‘militarisation of space’, we seem to be graduating towards ‘weaponisation of space’. As outer space has been designated as one of the ‘global’ commons, any sort of deployment or employment of space weapons raises concerns and any use of spacebased weapons will have unpleasant cascading effects. In the absence of any international curb or law on space weaponisation, it continues to be a conceptual possibility as well as an empirical reality.

Ireland: Selected Issues

An engaging guide to the various ways in which war is now waged--and how to adapt to this new reality"This brisk everyman's guide--straight-talking and free of jargon--is a useful tasting menu to a fast moving, constantly evolving set of problems . . . A lively reminder that war adapts to technology, that civilians are part of modern conflict whether they like it or not."--Roger Boyes, The Times "Galeotti's field guide is an admirably clear overview (in his words, 'quick and opinionated') of a form of conflict which is vague and hard to grasp. Variously described as hybrid, sub-threshold or grey-zone warfare, this is the no man's land between peaceful relations and formal combat."--Helen Warrell, Financial Times Hybrid War, Grey Zone Warfare, Unrestricted War: today, traditional conflict--fought with guns, bombs, and drones--has become too expensive to wage, too unpopular at home, and too difficult to manage. In an age when America threatens Europe with sanctions, and when China spends billions buying influence abroad, the world is heading for a new era of permanent low-level conflict, often unnoticed, undeclared, and unending. Transnational crime expert Mark Galeotti provides a comprehensive and ground-breaking survey of the new way of war. Ranging across the globe, Galeotti shows how today's conflicts are fought with everything from disinformation and espionage to crime and subversion, leading to instability within countries and a legitimacy crisis across the globe. But rather than suggest that we hope for a return to a bygone era of "stable" warfare, Galeotti details ways of surviving, adapting, and taking advantage of the opportunities presented by this new reality.

This book tracks the 2020 outbreak due to a coronavirus strain labelled SARS-CoV-2, said to produce the Covid-19 disease. It brings evidence from scientists – who were ignored or censored by mainstream and social media cartels, for challenging the narrative, a one-sided approach by governments under the influence of the World Health Organisation and its benefactors. The agenda led to a worldwide shut down of Small-Medium Businesses and a dramatic shift in wealth towards big multinationals. Serious, non-covid medical conditions were overlooked, resulting in a spike in excess deaths, first in care homes and hospitals, and later in private homes. Seizing the opportunity afforded by fearful citizens with little stomach to resist psychological warfare waged by their governments, a long-opposed ID solution for tracking and tracing humans was rolled out. This was a precursor for a coming world take over by AI, and the transfer of wealth in exchange for digitised Universal Basic Income, enforced by global martial law. Gene altering injections were hurried out under Emergency Use. The leading pharmaceutical manufacturer, and the national regulator, attempted to censor its trial data for 75 years. The regulator also ignored data it kept on millions of adverse vaccine reactions, many deadly serious.