Book Reviews : International Disputes: The Political Aspects. Europa for the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies. Cloth £3.50. Paper £1.50
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787100301208 |
| Author | Harlech |
| Date | 01 December 1971 |
| Published date | 01 December 1971 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
1026
BOOK
REVIEWS
International
Disputes:
The
Political
Aspects.
Europa
for
the
David
Davies
Memorial
Institute
of
International
Studies.
Cloth
£3.50.
Paper
£1.50.
By
chance
I
read
International
Disputes:
The
Political
Aspects
directly
after
reading
Rab
Butler’s
lively
autobiography
The
Art
of
the
Possible
and
I
was
immediately
struck
by
the
thought
that
this
would
have
been
a
most
apt
title
for
Professor
Northedge
and
Mr.
Donelan’s
book.
Unlike
so
many
volumes
of
it’s
kind
it
does
not
suggest
that
a
reform
of
the
United
Nations
Organisation,
amendments
to
the
Charter,
strengthening
of
the
International
Court
or
the
abolition
of
military
alliances
could
usher
in
the
millenium
or
that
in
the
forseeable
future
we
are
likely
to
achieve
world
peace
through
world
law.
The
authors
have
their
four
feet
very
firmly
planted
on
the
ground
and
this
is
no
doubt
partly
due
to
the
approach
to
their
subject
which
they
have
adopted.
They
have
coolly
examined
no
less
than
fifty
international
disputes
which
have
arisen
in
the
quarter century
from
1945
to
the
present
day
which
vary
in
importance
from
the
comparatively
innocuous
Anglo-Icelandic
Fisheries
dispute
and
the
status
of
Gibraltar,
to
such
lethal
confrontations
as
Korea,
Hungary,
Viet
Nam
and
the
Arab-Israeli
conflict.
They
have
then
shown
to
what
extent
international
machinery
has
been
used
to
find
a
solution
and
what
measure
of
success
it
has
achieved.
They
demonstrate
that
almost
60%
of
such
disputes
are
in
fact
peacefully
settled
or
fade
in
time
from
the
diplomatic
agenda.
This
latter
point
is
particularly
worth
noting.
&dquo;Kicking
for
touch&dquo;
is
a
useful
tactic
in
diplomacy
as
in
football
and
Kashmir
and
Cyprus
are
good
examples
of
it
in
practice.
Perhaps
the
most
surprising
conclusion
to
be
drawn
from
this
book
is
that
the
world
is
not
in
fact
lacking
in
the
machinery
for
the
peaceful
settlement
of
disputes,
although
the
authors
do
put
forward
some
useful
suggestions
for
improvements.
What
is
usually
lacking
is
the
will
of
one
party
or
all
parties
to
make
use
of
the
machinery.
Inevitably
in
a
world
of
sovereign
nation
states
attempting
to
live
together
in
what
has
now
become
a
confined
space
there
will
be
conflicts
of
interest
where
both
sides
are
convinced
that
they
have
a
just
case
and
are
not
prepared
for
a
third
party,
be
it
the
UN,
the
International
Court
or
a
neutral
arbitrator
to
make
a
binding
judgement.
This
is
likely
to
be
the
normal
state
of
affairs
in
human
society
for
a
good
many
generations
yet
and
it
is
not
only
mis-
leading
but
dangerous
to
encourage
the
idea
that
disputes
could
be
eradi-
cated
entirely
if
only
we
could
put
together
the
right
kind
of
international
constitution.
It
is
dangerous
because
as
the
authors
put
it
&dquo;He
who
enter-
tains
expectations
of
a
world
without
conflict
is
apt
to
ascribe
conflict,
when
it
inevitably
occurs,
to
the
ill-will
of
the
other
side,
it’s
failure
to
organise
it’s
internal
affairs
properly
or
to
the
inordinate
nature
of
it’s
demands.
Hence
there
tends
to
enter
into
human
conflict
the
exacerbating
force
of
illusion
that,
were
it
not
for
the
policies
of
the
adversary,
perfect
harmony
would
prevail;
and,
what
is
more,
that
it
will
prevail
once
the
adversary
is
thoroughly
defeated&dquo;.
How
true.
Shades
of
&dquo;Unconditional
Surrender&dquo;
and
the
yearning
for
a
military
victory
in
Viet
Nam
rise
before
one.
Not
that
these
thoughts
imply
that
all
hope
should
be
abandoned
of
creating
a
better
international
structure.
Far
from
it.
It
is
vital
that
we
should
strive
both
to
improve
the
machinery
and
above
all
to
use
it
and
it
is
here
that
the
major
powers
have
a
tremendous
responsibility.
The
time
has
long
since
passed
when
statesmen
in
large,
long-established
and
affluent
countries
should
ever
seek
to
make
use
of
the
chauvinistic
streak
in
human
nature
in
order
to
gather
domestic
political
support.
To
do
so
is
to
play
with
nuclear
fireworks.
Rather
is
it
for
them
to
set
an
example,
by making
it
clear
that
they
recognise
the
concept
of
an
international
community
which
must
govern
the
actions
of
the
nation
state
even
when
it
means
surrendering
some
short
term
interest
or
advantage.
To
this
end
they
should
educate
their
countries
to
accept
without
equivocation
the
judge-
ments
of the
International
Court
and
other
similar
supra-national
bodies.
To
a
small
extent
the
Six
countries
of
the
EEC
are
already
setting
such
an
example
through
their
acceptances
of
the
jurisdiction
of the
Court
of
Justice
which
is
an
essential
element
of
the
international
community
they
have
created.
It
is
obviously
crucial
that in
the
interest
of
peace
and
better
international
relations,
this
kind
of
concept
should
gain
ever
wider
sup-
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