In this episode of The Dispute Brief, Augusta Shahin breaks down bilateral investment treaties, or BITs, in clear practical terms. She explains what BITs actually protect, what they do not protect, and why that matters for arbitrators, mediators, in-house counsel, government lawyers, policy actors, and commercial lawyers working around cross-border investment and regulated sectors.

The episode looks at the difference between contract rights and treaty rights, the core protections often found in BITs, and how disputes in energy, infrastructure, licensing, tax, foreign exchange, stabilization, and regulatory change can move from ordinary commercial disagreement into treaty territory.

If you work around dispute risk, public regulation, or investment-facing projects, this episode gives you a sharper way to think about where commercial issues end and treaty exposure begins.