FOREIGN SOVEREIGN IMMUNITIES ACT
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.A federal statute providing individuals with a right of
action against foreign governments, under certain circumstances, to the extent the claim arises
from the private, as opposed to the public, acts of the foreign state. 28 USCA §§ 1602–1611. —
Abbr. FSIA. See RESTRICTIVE PRINCIPLE OF SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY. [Cases:
International Law 10.31–10.39. C.J.S. International Law §§ 46–52, 54–55.]
“The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) of 1976 was designed to provide a set of
comprehensive regulations governing access to federal and state courts in this country for
plaintiffs asserting claims against foreign states and instrumentalities thereof. The enactment of
this legislation responded to the reality that increased contacts between American citizens and
companies on the one hand, and foreign states and entities owned by foreign states on the other, as
well as a constantly expanding range of government activities, had created the need for judicial
fora in this country to resolve disputes arising out of these activities.” 14A Charles Alan Wright et
al., Federal Practice and Procedure § 3662, at 160–61 (2d ed. 1998).[Blacks Law 8th]