Book Review: International Law

Abstract

The standard work of the late Professor Oppenheim now appears in a new edition, the first since 1912. The author's labors upon it were interrupted by death, the edition having been carried to completion by Mr. Roxburgh, who had the advantage of the author's notes on the unfinished parts. The record of events since July, 1919, are the work of the editor. There is little besides this to distinguish the opinions of the editor from the author; the former has apparently taken pains to preserve the author's own thoughts wherever possible. The section numbering of the second edition seems to have been retained, new material being embodied in interpolated fractional sections. Among this new material we find such subjects as the law of the air and aerial navigation, the League of Nations, the "so-called economic boycott or blockade," treaties of peace after the World War, the "so-called long distance blockade," and other topics which the World War threw into relief. The old sections seem to have been thoroughly revised, though for the most part the author's earlier opinions are retained. One notable exception is found in the author's withdrawal of his advocacy of the ratification by Great Britain of the Declaration of London. Whether the author fully appreciated the fact that nations will not, if their hands are free, permit themselves to be bound by rules which handicap them in time of war or emergency, does not clearly appear. The emphasis placed on such important subjects as aliens, responsibility of the state and related topics, together with detailed bibliographic references throughout, again distinguish this work from most of the other general treatises in the field.