Page 240 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International

Born in the aftermath of the First World War, the League of Nations,
headquartered here in Geneva, occupies a special place in the history of
multilateral diplomacy as the first international organization of its kind. It was
an impressive and an important experiment. All too often, one hears the word
"failure" associated with the League of Nations. This to me, misses the

point. Viewing the history of diplomatic relations as something which lives,
perhaps it would be more accurate to describe the League as “Not
having been an immediate success.” For the best of what the League stood
for - the determined and sustained quest for peace, the primacy of the
rule of law, and the abhorrence of war - continues to find its expression
in the successor to the League, the United Nations.

The processes and structures enshrined in the Covenant of the League and
subsequently developed during its years of work, provided invaluable experi-
ence from which the United Nations was to benefit, and a meaningful
foundation on which to build. Of course, this means knowing what worked and
what did not, and discriminating between the two. A central lesson from the
League of Nations is that for multilateralism to function well, it must benefit
from the broadest possible involvement. This was not the case for the League
and it was the primary reason for the League's demise. Another lesson of fun-
damental importance is that to promote peace and security, a comprehensive
approach is called for - one that includes economic, social and cultural as well
as political and military issues.

While the League of Nations ultimately did not succeed in its objectives,
this had more to do with its lack of universality, the traumatic and lingering
effects of the Great War, and the dramatic events that soon followed, than any
shortcoming of those who undertook its work. League of Nations diplomats,
officials and staff laboured energetically and with dedication.

From a viewpoint of multilateral diplomacy, the League of Nations made a
tremendous impact. Many of the successful methods we employ today were
created and refined during the League. Also, the classic legal trio of the peaceful
settlement of disputes - conciliation, arbitration, and adjudication - grew under
the League. As concerns disarmament, despite the lack of political will to make
meaningful inroads, the League of Nations succeeded in planting a powerful
seed to “render possible the initiation of a general limitation of armaments of
all nations.” This germinated into the United Nations Charter provision to
promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and
security with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and

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