Book excerpt: The scope of the arbitrator’s powers in arbitration proceedings has been widely discussed in recent years, but remains understudied. Among prominent international arbitrators, none have focused on this issue more than Dr. Pierre A. Karrer. Dr. Karrer is celebrated here on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday by more than thirty leading arbitration practitioners and academics worldwide who have been part of, and have been influenced by, his extensive professional career. Following Dr. Karrer’s primary interests, notably his advocacy of a strong arbitrator role in proceedings as evidenced in his lectures, presentations, and publications as well as in his own arbitrations, the contributions in this book consider such questions as the following: ·What are the sources of an arbitrator’s power? ·What are the limits of an arbitrator’s power? ·Should arbitrators have a role in encouraging settlement? ·May arbitrators regulate and impose sanctions against counsel? ·How managerial should arbitrators be? ·What are the duties and liabilities of arbitrators? ·What is the nature of the arbitrator’s relationship to arbitral institutions? ·Are emergency arbitrators actually ‘arbitrators’? ·Should arbitrators raise issues of arbitrability and public policy ex officio? ·To what extent may arbitrators delegate tasks and use tribunal secretaries? With its in-depth perspectives on the arbitrator’s role, powers, and duties in an arbitration proceeding, and its extensive analysis of some of the most timely and controversial issues in arbitration today, this book offers an abundance of thought-provoking yet also practical commentary and guidance for practitioners and academics in the field of international arbitration and international commercial law.