Geopolitical upheaval has thrust force majeure back to the centre of arbitral practice, testing the limits of long-settled doctrines. This session brings together leading practitioners to examine how civil and common law systems respond when crisis disrupts contractual performance, and how tribunals assess causation, risk allocation, sanctions and illegality.

• When does a geopolitical crisis become a force majeure event?
• Contract language versus governing law: which matters most?
• Civil and common law approaches to risk allocation and force majeure
• Proving causation amid sanctions, conflict and supply chain disruption
• Can past crises provide guidance for an increasingly unpredictable world?