Introduction

How diverse cultures approach the resolution of confl ict in the context of the integration of markets is a new arena for research and practice. To date, most research on international commercial arbitration has focused exclusively on Western models of arbitration as practiced in Europe and North America. While such studies refl ected the geographic foci of international arbitration practice in the mid-20th century, in recent years, the number of international arbitrations conducted in East Asia has grown steadily and in many cases exceeded growth in Western regions.1