Abstract
This entry addresses the protection of foreign investment in the law of State succession. The substantive rules of general international law derive from customary international law, national laws of States, and general principles of law. In the absence of investor–State arbitration, general international law governs the treatment of the property of aliens in the territorial jurisdiction of the successor. The entry considers the key debates concerning decolonization, such as the duty to compensate aliens for the expropriation of their property. It also examines the notions of international minimum standard of treatment, concessionary contracts, and foreign bondholders in line with the protection of foreign investment.