Originally from Remedies in International Sales - Hardcover
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Preview Page from Chapter 13

... rule is simply a direct deduction from the principle pacta sunt servanda, since its only effect is to substitute a pecuniary obligation for the obligation which was promised but not performed. It is therefore natural that the creditor should thereby be given full compensation.

§13.1 General
The basic principle for the recovery of damages is set forth in CISG Art. 74, which “strikes the keynote.” Specifically, CISG Art. 74 states that:
Damages for breach of contract by one party consist of a sum equal to the loss, including loss of profit, suffered by the other party as a consequence of the breach. Such damages may not exceed the loss which the party in breach foresaw or ought to have foreseen at the time of the conclusion of the contract, in the light of the facts and matters of which he then knew or ought to have known, as a possible consequence of the breach of contract.
From the outset, one should note that “Article 74 does not represent a basis for a claim; it regulates the legal consequences arising out of an already existent claim for damages. Article 74 is thus a basic norm for the calculation of damages [emphasis added].”