Sir Ivor Roberts (ed), Satow's Diplomatic Practice
| Pages | 298-300 |
| Published date | 01 May 2019 |
| DOI | 10.3366/elr.2019.0568 |
| Date | 01 May 2019 |
Conceived originally as a handbook for young diplomats,
All of the chapters are written in a crisp flowing style. At the same time, each author leaves his/her own imprint. The coverage is on the whole impressive. The text is organised into eight “books” each encompassing a number of chapters belonging to a particular theme, with the exceptions of the final book which contains only the “advice to diplomats” by way of conclusion.
Book I is entitled “diplomacy in general” and is essentially an introduction to both diplomacy and international law. Book II deals with the political and legal aspects of diplomatic and consular relations. Book III is headed “privileges and immunities”. These sections together are the heart of the book and its main highlight. They provide context to the rules and their operation and provide a useful example of when international law can be largely successful in regulating state relations. It is also a very useful case study of the evolution of customary international law as regards, in this instance, the rules on diplomatic protection. These chapters should be standard reading for anyone embarking on any serious study of international relations and international law. After all, it sketches with great authority, the everyday modalities by which some of the most important actors in international affairs interact with the relevant host state or international organisation to which they are posted.
Book IV deals with multilateral diplomacy, human rights and international organisations; an ambitiously wide category of topics. The human rights chapter sets out some fundamentals of the architecture available for human rights protection, the sources of that protection and then explains the relevance of this for diplomats. That latter discussion mainly focuses on the role of consular and diplomatic staff in protecting their citizens and others in a host state, although the important point is also made that diplomats should be aware of the human rights angle of treaties or contracts being negotiated away from the human rights domain. There are two UN chapters; one focused on the Charter and the other on specialised UN agencies and funds. The Charter chapter discusses the powers of the UN security council, the uses of the veto, the type of measures typically adopted by the...
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