Patrick O'Brian Discussion Forum

Max Trainer

if Frenchy wants to stop making things up he might try actually reading some of these documents. As they are voluminous I can understand that he might not have the time or desire to do so.

Still, if he wants to use them to support his opinions of how the world should be he shouldn't be surprised if he convinces nobody.

As for some of the other posts, taken in no particular order:

declarations of war are a courtesy and a convention. There is no "law" that mandates them.

Bi-lateral treaties are no more "fragile" than any other kind. A country can leave NATO as readily as it can cancel a trade agreement. That there might be politiical or economic considerations are a world apart from the agreement being binding in a legal sense. There exists no world tribunal that will declare germany to be a member of NATO whether they like it or not. To argue otherwise is just silly.

the concept of  crimes against humanity is a concept. Some nations subscribe to it. They will do so until they decide not to. The leader of a vanquished power may be dragged off to the Hague and chastised. The sitting leader of an existing regime, or for that matter, any citizen of a sitting regime will not be tried without that countries permission. If this isn't the case then explain the lack of prosecution for the Sudan, Zaire, North Korea, etc.

The UN passes lots of resolutions condemning lots of things. It has no legal effect. Iran ignores them, so does Israel. The UN can't declare war and it cannot force any member into sending troops to any conflict that the country declines to send them.

The whole WMD thing was a huge mistake but it was only "Remember the Maine" or "Jenkins Ear" gone modern. A rally to the country for national support. No need for a legal reason just public relations.

Lastly, the citation I used was 200 years old becasue I wanted to demonstrate how old these conventions were. Again, this stuff is so basic I am shocked that you don't already know it.

On Sun Nov 1, The Last of the True French Short Bastards wrote
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