[W]e are told that no nation can stand out against world opinion; that we can rely upon the moral forces of the Assembly's resolution. Surely this is more wishful thinking. What is more, it is flatly contradicted by experience. For several years now U.N.O. has condemned Egypt for refusing to allow the passage of Israel's ships through the Suez Canal in direct conflict with its obligations under the 1888 Treaty. Has the moral force of this condemnation had any effect on the Egyptians? None whatever. By a huge majority U.N.O. has called upon Russia to withdraw its troops from Hungary. Has the moral force of this resolution had any effect? Ask the Hungarians. If the Russians do not comply, we are told, they will be branded by the Assembly. The trouble is, that they have been branded already, and they do not seem to mind.
British physicist (1886-1957)
Frederick Alexander Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell CH PC FRS (5 April 1886 – 3 July 1957) was a British physicist who was prime scientific adviser to Winston Churchill in World War II.
From: Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Native Name:
Frederick Lindemann, 1. Viscount Cherwell
Alternative Names:
Frederick Alexander Lindemann
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Frederick Alexander Lindemann Cherwell
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Never has the world situation been more ominous. Japan, in the hands of a military Junta, is overruning China...
Germany is rearming at a rate unparalleled in the history of the world. Preaching a gospel of force, determined to subjugate Central Europe to her theories...
England in its longing for peace is the richest prey for the conqueror, disarmed and defenceless, having tried the Socialist panacea of a bold, generous gesture and pared its defences to the bone, no longer able to control events. Here she lies, the richest prize at the mercy of a conqueror since Rome lay open to Alarich.
The Assembly is split into a number of blocs. There are the Afro-Asian bloc, the South American bloc and the Iron Curtain bloc, the members of which tend to vote together on their likes and dislikes, in accordance with instructions from their home Government. No one pretends they are influenced by the evidence or the speeches. Practically always the repercussions it will have on the government's own position and interests decides which way a delegate votes: often votes are cast according to some bargain or arrangement; sometimes it is said they are to all intents and purposes peddled about. Judicial impartiality is the last thing that seems to matter. To describe a majority vote of such a body as "a decision of the highest tribunal in the world" is simply laughable. To pillory as criminal any nation which hesitates to comply with its decisions is monstrous.