Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

Traditional methods of dispute resolution are often inappropriate in this world of global marketplace expansion and volatile economies. Litigation can be both time consuming and expensive. One party is always a stranger, forced to litigate in a foreign country under foreign rules. Far more preferable is ADR, says the author. There is a high degree of international recognition and enforcement of the process and the neutrality of the panel is more certain. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) contains significant provisions that encourage the use of alternative mechanisms for the resolution of commercial trade disputes.