War, Law and States
I am nearly done with Yunus…overall I found it not as interesting as I would imagine it would be. Bangladesh at his time was really in a “nothing to loose” sort of situation. A couple of USD would make a different between the haves and have nots. But I guess the value of Yunus’ book lays not in the details but the inspiration - to challenge conventional economic instincts and think of out the box. Well…overall, inspirational but nothing great.
I bought a new book yesterday after getting a RM100 allowance rise from my boss (not from the government coffer, but her personal pocket - “petrol has increased, so here take this”). Two new books actually and they totaled up to RM148; there goes my “increment”.
Because the international order of nation-states is constructed on the foundation of this model of state sovereignty, developments that cast doubt on that sovereignty call the entire system into question.
Five such developments do so: (1) the recognition of human rights as norms that require adherence within all states, regardless of their internal laws; (2) the widespread deployment of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction that render the defense of state borders ineffectual for the protections of the society within; (3) the proliferation of global and transnational threats that transcend state borders, such as those that damage the environment, or threaten states through migration, population expansion, disease or famine; (4) the growth of a world economic regime that ignores borders in the movement of capital investment to a degree that effectively curtails states in the management of their economic affairs; and (5) the creation of a global communications network that penetrates borders electronically and threatens national language, customs and cultures.
Cool stuff…and it was just the prologue, or is it too early to judge.
The Shield of Achilles - War, Peace and the Course of History
Philip Bobbitt
