Patrick O'Brian Discussion Forum

maverick

It's not about wanting to believe.  It's about historical fact.

On Sat Oct 31, Bob Bridges wrote
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>The people who want to believe treaties are made to be broken are those who want to break treaties.  The claim deserves no respect from those of us who believe we ought to keep our promises.

>You'll notice even those who say treaties are made to be broken nevertheless want everyone else to keep their word.

>On Sat Oct 31, maverick wrote
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>>Based on what I've always read, "Treaties are made to be broken."
>>Their legal foundation is pretty shaky.

>>On Sat Oct 31, Bob Bridges wrote
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>>>Speaking as the Nothing-But-Reasonable poster, I did after all sneer a little when I spoke of International Law ("all capitalized and everything"), so I accept Ernest's definition as his notion of what the term means, and as a mild rebuke for my sneer.  But if a treaty between two or more countries is what Christo meant by "international law", then I maintain it's a term intended to make it sound as though countries that break treaties are in the same legal situation as a man who's robbed a liquor store or mugged a passer-by, and it just ain't so.  If and when we have a world government—or more likely a century or two after that—the two situations will be more similar.  Until then, the sovereignty of nations prevents an exact comparison.

>>>On Sat Oct 31, Max Trainer wrote
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>>>>Bob very clearly asked for a citation to the assertion that Iraq 2 was a violation of international law. You deliberately chose to act as though he denied that international law exists. Your only cite was to Iran not Iraq.

>>>>So, answer the question posed or not, but don't insult the man that has been nothing but reasonable on this forum for years.

>>>>On Sat Oct 31, The Last of the True French Short Bastards wrote
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>>>>>Go back to school, Bob. These are terms whose meaning has been well-understood for decades.