Legal Assessment of the Kuwaiti Foreign Direct Investment Rules in Light of the WTO Rules
Dr. Mohamed Salem Alhihi
Assistant Professor of Commercial Law – Kuwait International Law School
Abstract:
This article represents a legal assessment of the Kuwaiti rules and requirements of foreign direct investment (FDI) in light of the WTO principles of international investment. This paper highlights the importance of FDI for Kuwait as a modern approach for economic development and diversification, explains the international legal framework of FDI in the scope of the WTO, and describes the main categories of restrictions for FDI in Kuwait. The discussion highlights the main contradictions between the Kuwaiti FDI rules and the WTO related obligations that could later become grounds for legal challenges against Kuwait before the WTO.
Keywords: foreign direct investment, TRIMs Agreement, GATT, kuwaiti foreign investment rules, WTO, foreign investment.