The League of Nations and Its Problems: Three Lectures

Three lectures relate the evolution of international law and earlier peace proposals to contemporary plans for a League of Nations, arguing that Hague initiatives supply a legal and historical foundation for organised international cooperation. They examine practical and political obstacles to building an effective international organisation, contend that the defeat and accountability of aggressive states is necessary before such a system can function, and stress the importance of including neutral and smaller states to secure legitimacy. The lectures outline institutional measures, proposing international councils of conciliation and a multi-bench international court of justice and suggesting a further peace conference to launch the system. The approach combines historical analysis with pragmatic institutional sketches.