The Twenty Four Years of Mercosur’s Dispute Settlement System and the Suspension of Paraguay

Abstract

This article presents the transformations that occurred within Mercosur’s disputesettlement system. It indicates that the settlementof disputes within Mercosur follows a tradition-al pattern in International Relations, combin-ing steps in which the States themselves decidehow to resolve their conflicts with proceduresinwhich decisions to put an end to the dispute areassigned to certain courts: “ad hoc” courts ofarbitration and/or the Permanent Review Tribu-nal.It presents general and relevant aspects ofthe case which led to the suspension of Para-guay from the deliberative bodies of Mercosur,and also analyzes and interprets the proceduralaspects of the case and its consequences to theMercosur’s dispute settlement system.