Treaty Types

Types of Treaties

Introduction to Treaty Types

Many treaties can be classified as either political or commercial agreements. Political treaties may relate to mutual defense in case of armed attack; to guarantees of a particular status, such as neutrality; or to the preservation of existing boundaries. Treaties of alliance that promised mutual support in the event of war are no longer valid to the extent that they violate the UN Charter. Commercial treaties usually provide mutual economic advantage, such as reduced tariffs on the imported products of the parties to the agreement. In modern times such treaties often contain a clause stipulating that each signatory will extend to every other signatory treatment equally favorable to that accorded to any other nation (the most-favored-nation clause). The most important multilateral treaty of that type is the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The national treatment clause in commercial treaties assures equal treatment to the nationals of each signatory to the agreement. Another class of treaties provides for the submission of disputes to arbitration by special tribunals or to the adjudication of disputes by institutions such as the Permanent Court of Arbitration or the International Court of Justice.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Treaty Types in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Treaty Types