In his new book Geoffrey Robertson argues the UN Security Council can no longer defend democracy and proposes a new alliance of democratic states. The diagnosis is compelling – the path forward far less clear.

The indictment in Geoffrey Robertson’s latest book, _World of War Crimes_, is long, thoroughly evidenced and impregnable to rational challenge.

But the remedy from this supreme lawyer and sublime historian, while short and sweet, comes without the mechanics to make it happen.

To go to the journalistic checklist, Robertson, the prolific author, fearless judge and advocate and erstwhile popular TV presenter, gives us the “whos”, “whats”, “wheres”, “whens” and “whys”.

But the “how” is up to us.

Robertson’s proposed reforms, as Jaka Bizilj, the founder of Cinema for Peace, says in the foreword, “provide a framework for prosecuting war crimes in the 21st century”. But who is going to build that framework?

Robertson’s brash intro would do News Of The World proud: “The rules-based world order set in motion in San Francisco in 1945 is no longer viable”.

His diagnosis and prescriptions are dramatic:

“The United Nations Security Council is no longer fit for the purpose of dealing with international conflict. The veto given to its five permanent members must be abolished, or else the Council must be replaced.

“A new organisation, a council of democratic countries, should be established to counteract the power of authoritarian nations at the UN.”

That’s no easy task, and goes a lot further than the widely hailed speech of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to the World Economic Forum about how middle powers – including Australia – must rise up to counter the power of the US, Russia and China, the three great powers who use their veto to their own ends (and Israel’s, in the US’ case) at the Security........

© Pearls and Irritations