SATOW'S DIPLOMATIC PRACTICE, SIXTH EDITION. Edited by Sir Ivor Roberts. Oxford: Oxford University Press (www.oup.com), 2009. lvi + 730 pp. ISBN 9780199559275. £110.
| Date | 01 January 2011 |
| Author | Christian J Tams |
| Published date | 01 January 2011 |
| Pages | 156-157 |
| DOI | 10.3366/elr.2011.0015 |
For someone who (like this reviewer) approaches British legal writing from a continental European perspective, one of the more remarkable features of the professional literature is the extent to which classic works remain associated with their original author. The 30th edition of one of the contract law “bibles” presumably has rather little in common with the original text prepared by Joseph Chitty written some 185 years ago, yet it remains
To be sure, no text on diplomacy could have survived since 1917 (let alone retained its status as a leading guide) without major revisions. Since 1917, and perhaps even since the fifth edition of 1979, diplomacy – just as the world in which it is conducted – has changed immensely. Since 1900, the number of States has risen from approximately 60 to around 200, thus (depending on one's perspective) greatly complicating or enriching diplomatic relations. The two Vienna Conventions of 1961 and 1963 have formalised the conduct of diplomatic and consular relations, as has the maturing of rules on immunity. Rules of international law govern ever wider aspects of, and legalise, international relations. The United Nations era in particular has seen a move towards multilateral diplomacy within international organisations or through international conferences, and civil society and international business have joined the State on the world stage.
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