MOTHER'S DAY SPECIALS! SHOW ME MORE

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Default

The Landmark Court Battle over Argentina's $100 Billion Debt Restructuring

Gregory Makoff Lee C. Buchheit

$64.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
Georgetown University Press
01 February 2024
The dramatic inside story of the most important case in the history of sovereign debt law

Unlike individuals or corporations that become insolvent, nations do not have access to bankruptcy protection from their creditors. When a country defaults on its debt, the international financial system is ill equipped to manage the crisis. Decisions by key individuals—from national leaders to those at the International Monetary Fund, from holdout creditors to judges—determine the fate of an entire national economy. A prime example is Argentina’s 2001 default on $100 billion in bonds, which stands out for its messy outcomes and outsized impact on sovereign debt markets, sovereign debt law, and IMF policy.

Default

is the riveting story of Argentina’s sovereign debt drama, which reveals the obscure inner workings of sovereign debt restructuring. This detailed case study describes the intense fight over the role of the IMF in Argentina’s 2005 debt restructuring and the ensuing bitter decade of litigation with holdout creditors, demonstrating that outcomes for sovereign debt are determined by a complex interplay between financial markets, governments, the IMF, the press, and the courts.

This cautionary tale lays bare the institutional, political, and legal pressures that come into play when a country cannot repay its debts. It offers a deeper understanding of how global financial capitalism functions for those who work in or study debt markets, international finance, international relations, and international law.
By:  
Foreword by:  
Imprint:   Georgetown University Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 40mm
Weight:   680g
ISBN:   9781647123970
ISBN 10:   1647123976
Pages:   424
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Gregory Makoff, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and an expert on sovereign debt management. A former banker specializing in debt advice, liability management, and derivatives, he has also advised the US Department of the Treasury.

Reviews for Default: The Landmark Court Battle over Argentina's $100 Billion Debt Restructuring

"[A] superb account. -- David Skeel, University of Pennsylvania * Wall Street Journal * Default is a powerful, exciting and instructive book that clearly and surprisingly amusingly presents the 'lengthiest, messiest sovereign debt restructuring in history' (283). * ReVista Harvard Review of Latin America * This book is a pleasant surprise. * CHOICE connect * A scrupulously fair and comprehensive look at the trial of the century for sovereign debt. -- Robin Wigglesworth * Financial Times * Featuring excerpts from numerous legal briefs, oral arguments, and judicial musings and decisions—as well as revealing interviews with key participants—the book should be required reading for students of international law, and of interest to anyone wanting to understand what the ""Trial of the Century,"" as it was referred to in the press and among attorneys, was all about. * Americas Quarterly * [Makoff] packs a lot of detail about the many overlapping legal cases, the players on all sides and the macro conditions into this ""courtroom drama,"" which doubles as a guide about challenging debt restructuring. * Ziemba Insights * For students and professors, Makoff sticks the landing in authoring both a scholarly and practical history. Much ink has been spilt in academic circles on how sovereign debt markets work in theory. It took a practitioner like Makoff to explain how the world is rather than how it is supposed to be. -- Samy B. Muaddi, Georgetown University * Enterprising Investor * Alternating between spellbinding narrative and dry legal analysis, he describes the thrust and parry between Argentine governments and litigious investors.... * Foreign Affairs * In his magnificent new book, Default, Gregory Makoff tells the story of one of the most fascinating (and surreal, I would say) episodes in Argentina's history....The book is full of information, testimony from the main players, quotes from the international media, and statistical data obtained from various sources. All this makes it an important scholarly contribution to the literature on sovereign defaults. But there is more to it than this. There is also a fair amount of gossip, and the book is written in a lively style. It sometimes reads like a novel.... Makoff tells the story of the final negotiation, with all its drama and complexity, in a masterful way. * Literary Review *"


See Inside

See Also