Book Review: International Law and Organization: Soldiering for Peace
| Date | 01 December 1967 |
| Published date | 01 December 1967 |
| Author | E. L. M. Burns |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206702200424 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
BOOK
REviEws
677
In
my
view
both
authors
fail
to
appreciate
the
legal
position
on
the
Great
Lakes
and
the
inexcusable
absurdities
that
arise
because
of
it.
Their
books
are
helpful
to
lawyers and
include
texts
of
relevant
material
in
appendices
but
they
do
not
discuss
in
any
detail the
conflict
of
law
problems
which
are
a
feature
of
lake
practice.
For
example,
the
courts
of
both Canada and
the
United
States
will
entertain
actions
arising
out
of collisions
and
other
misadventures
on
the
lakes and
canals
and
will
apply
to
the
same
facts,
different rules
of
contributory
negligence,
of
fault,
of
limitation
of
liability
of
assessment
of
damages
and
many
like
things
of
vast
importance
to
those
who
"occupy
their
business
in
great
waters"
and
in
admiralty
courts.
Each
author
can
learn
much
from
the
other's
bibliography
for
each
has
either cast
aside
or
never
set
eyes
on
valuable
secondary
authorities
used
by
the
other.
In
many
respects
Mr.
Piper's
is
the
more
useful
book,
better
edited
and
pointed,
and
more
severely
limited
in
its
scope.
But
the
message
is
M.
Bedard's.
There
is
still
much
to
be done.
We
may
profit
from
his
far-ranging
comparative
study
and
may
yet make
the
Great
Lakes regime
as splendid
as
these authors
now
consider
it.
King,
Ontarto
PETER
WRIGHT
SOLDIER
nG
FOR
PEACE.
By
Major
General
Carl
von
Horn.
(New
York:
David McKay.
Toronto: Longmans.
viii,
402pp.
$6.95)
General
von
Horn
was
Chief
of
Staff
of
the
U.N.
Truce Supervision
Organization
in
Jerusalem;
for
a
period
"Supreme Commander"
of
oNuc-the
peacekeeping
force
in
the
Congo;
and
then
was
in
charge
of
the
observation
group
in
the
Yemen,
whose
task
it
was to
report
on
whether
the
United
Arab
Republic
and
Saudi
Arabia
were keeping
to
their
agreement
to
halt
the
civil
war.
He gives
us
in
this
book
his
views
of
the
difficulties,
confusion
and
inadequacies
which
attended
the
operations
he
was
concerned
with:
"his
struggles"
as
the
blurb
on
the
jacket
puts
it,
"against
political
intrigue, bureaucratic
fumbling
and
lack
of
money
and
men"
"Political
intrigue"
All
U.N.
peacekeeping
operations
are
more
than
half
political;
none
of
them
have
been
simple
military operations,
in
which
a
commander
is
given
a
straightforward
objective which
he
is
to
attain
by
the
use
of
military
force.
If
the
operation
is
partly
political,
intrigue
must
be
expected.
As
President
Truman
remarked
of
politics
in
another
connection:
"If
you
can't
stand
the
heat,
keep
out
of
the
kitchen.
Any
military
officer
invited
to
serve
the
United
Nations
should
keep
that
advice
in
mind.
"Bureaucratic fumbling.
The
direction
of
the
peacekeeping
opera-
tion
in
the
Congo
and
of
the
observation group's
operation
m
the
Yemen
was
in
the
hands
of
civilian
officials
in
the
United
Nations
Headquarters.
It is
they
whom
General
von
Horn
accuses
of
fumbling, and
failure
to
provide
him
with
sufficient
men
and
equipment
to
do
the
jobs.
My
own
relations with
some
of
the
U.N.
officials
whom General von
Horn
criti-
cizes
were
good.
I
found
them
generally
able
and reasonable
men,
doing
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