The rise of international arbitration is closely intertwined with the New York Convention's success. The Convention, with its 147 current Member States one of the most effective international instruments (if not the most effective) in the field of commercial law, has pioneered the unification of international arbitration. It has done so both by directly facilitating recognition and enforcement of foreign awards and by indirectly establishing standards for arbitral proceedings. Conversely, the considerable growth of international arbitration during the last decades has given the Convention a meaning which could hardly have been foreseen back in 1958. The Convention's unifying effect largely depends on the coherent interpretation and application of its provisions by the national courts. Only uniform interpretation allows one to predict the chances of success of an application for recognition and enforcement, which in turn furthers certainty in cross-border contracts and reduces transaction costs. The Convention's age Article II(2)'s reference to the conclusion of contracts by exchange of telegrams is telling and the dynamics during the 1958 conference, which resulted in remarkable last-minute amendments, reinforce the need for uniform interpretation.