The Geneva Protocol — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Geneva Protocol
John Stuart Mill · en
It is clear that unanimity would be somewhat difficult to reach in a
tribunal of that size. It must be remembered that under the Protocol
no dispute can reach the Council for such an arbitral decision unless
(a) the mediatory efforts of the Council have failed and (b) the
parties have refused to agree upon any form of arbitration and (c)
neither party wishes arbitration.[10] Clearly a dispute which had
reached that stage would be one upon which unanimous agreement by an
arbitral tribunal of representatives of from eight to ten governments
would be improbable.
Furthermore, it seems to me almost certain under the new procedure that
one of the parties would demand arbitration,[10] because it would
always be in the power of one member of the Council to compel such
arbitration. This is a point which, so far as I have observed, has not
elsewhere been noticed.
The final provision of the Protocol for the settlement of the dispute
is that if the matter goes to the Council for consideration; and if the
views of the Council are not unanimous (aside from the parties), there
is then a "compulsory" arbitration. The Council proceeds itself to
determine the composition, the powers and the procedure of the
Committee of Arbitrators.
So, taking all the provisions together, the whole result is that a
dispute which is past the stage of mediation either goes to arbitration
outside the Council or must be unanimously decided {27} by the members
of the Council; and this puts it in the power of any one member of the
Council to compel an arbitral award by an outside body.
It should be added that, under the Protocol, as under the Covenant, the
Assembly may be substituted for the Council in the consideration of a
dispute. It would have in such case the same mediatory powers as the
Council and the same arbitral powers as the Council if all the parties
refused any other form of arbitration.[11]
A very summary statement of the functions of the Council under the
Covenant shows what a radical change is made by the provisions of the
Protocol. Under the present provisions of Article 15 of the Covenant,
a dispute which passes the stage of mediation is considered by the
Council. If the Council is unanimous in making recommendations, their
effect is simply to prevent war, not finally to settle the dispute. If
the Council is not unanimous, its recommendations may have a moral
effect, but have no legal effect whatever.
So far as concerns these provisions of the Protocol, they may be summed
up as follows: they provide that every possible dispute between the
parties to the Protocol which is subject to international cognizance
shall be finally determined by a judicial or arbitral tribunal
resulting in a legally binding decision or award; and the parties to
the Protocol solemnly agree that they will accept any such decision or
any such award as final and that they will carry it out in full good
faith.[12]
[1] As amended.
[2] Article 36, first paragraph.