Small States and Regional Dispute Resolution Mechanisms: The Caribbean and Pacific Experiences

Abstract

The growing number of international dispute settlement mechanisms over the past decades has been critically addressed in academic literature. Concerns have also been voiced as to whether ‘small states’ as specific actors are disadvantaged in their participation in international dispute resolution. When such dispute resolution mechanisms are incorporated in regional integration schemes, similar concerns arise: small states participating in these integration processes, it is argued, face particular challenges due to their lack of quantitative resources, not least due to their narrow population base. This article analyses dispute resolution mechanisms of two regional integration schemes—the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the currently negotiated Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER)-Plus—in order to ascertain whether these mechanisms fit challenges resulting from the smallness of the participating member states.