The Security Council: Behind the Scenes

Following the publication of the various enquiries into the circumstances of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, there has developed a view that the UN lacks the ability to manage complex missions. With particular reference to the case of the UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR), the author pays special attention to the oversight of peacekeeping missions and the crucial role of the UN Security Council, the Secretary General and senior officials in the Secretariat and asks whether the Council is sufficiently equipped at ambassadorial level to address professional military issues. Does the Council have a right and a duty to know the details of peacekeeping missions in order to take decisions? A culture of secrecy has developed in the Security Council and it is common practice now for the Council's important debates to be held in secret. This means that its decision‐making is unaccountable. The author also questions the lack of enquiry into British policy towards Rwanda in the Security Council between 1993 and 1994.     

The Legend of the Grail

The Mothers. A Study of the Origins of Sentiments and Institutions. By Robert Briffault. Vols. i-iii. George Allen &;Unwin, 1927. 10" x 6 ?" Pp. xix + 781; xx + 789; xv + 841. 25s. per vol.     

The Peasants Revolt of 1381 and the chronicles

This paper contains a textual comparison between the eight accounts of the events in London, June 1381. It reveals a close interrelationship between these accounts, and the author therefore provides a new evaluation of their reliability as a source for the events of the revolt. A stemma is proposed which, among other things, shows that the Anonimalle chronicle should be regarded as a secondary compilation.     

The Peasants Revolt of 1381 and the chronicles

This paper contains a textual comparison between the eight accounts of the events in London, June 1381. It reveals a close interrelationship between these accounts, and the author therefore provides a new evaluation of their reliability as a source for the events of the revolt. A stemma is proposed which, among other things, shows that the Anonimalle chronicle should be regarded as a secondary compilation.