Book review : Demilitarisation and international law in context : the Åland Islands

Abstract

A 19th century treaty on the demilitarisation of a small group of islands in the Baltic Sea may not appear, at face value, as a very promising incipit for an exciting academic text. Demilitarisation and international law in context: The Åland Islands, is a salutary reminder that prima facie judgments are often inaccurate. This brief study offers an examination of how demilitarisation has contributed to a peaceful resolution to a case of disputed sovereignty and reflects on the current legal and political challenges to this settlement. The overall objective of the book is: “to look at the demilitarisation and neutralisation of Åland as a long-standing regime intended to limit war” (p. 1). It is therefore relevant to numerous academic disciplines, including the international legal framework (of demilitarisation and neutrality); the international relations and political science framework of conflict resolution (intended to limit war); and the historical perspective which is adopted as a general progressive process through which the case-study is analysed.