Introduction : internationa law is fragmented and cyclical -- Unilateralism -- The rise and fall of multilateralism -- The rise of bilateralism/regionalism -- The EU's relationship with Brazil and India -- The EU's relationship with China -- The EU's relationship with Russia -- Preliminary remarks on foreign direct investment -- History of foreign direct investment regulation -- Current regulatory regimes -- Why is there a need for a multilateral investment treaty? -- How to design a multilateral framework for investment -- An overview of the WTO and the NAFTA -- Comparison between the WTO and NAFTA.