The Acquisition of Territory in International Law has been an indispensable work in the field for 60 years. It remains so, if for shifting reasons. Robert Jennings’ treatment of the applicable law is so succinct, and his bald statements of fact as to the nature of international law so unapologetic, that the text will invariably reward close re-reading by international lawyers of all persuasions. Acquisition of Territory goes far beyond its apparent brief of summarizing the relevant lex lata and offering an expert opinion on key issues of lex ferenda. Viewed from the right light, the work is a prism that refracts the world of early 1960s international law. Jennings deftly sidesteps and postpones fundamental questions of anti-colonial justice that some would have expected to be addressed in a lecture series on the acquisition of territory given in December 1962. The reading down of global anti-colonial movements to a ‘policy question’ beyond the strict concerns of jurists says much of the culture of British international law in the early 1960s. Jennings uses law to relegate calls for colonizing powers to be held to account to some future time, in some differently constituted international system. Amongst his kind, then and now, he is hardly alone.

中文翻译：

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“那本小书”：RY Jennings，国际法中领土的取得

60年来，《国际法领土的取得》是该领域不可或缺的著作。如果出于不断变化的原因，它仍然如此。罗伯特·詹宁斯 (Robert Jennings) 对适用法律的处理如此简洁，他对国际法性质的直言不讳的事实陈述如此无懈可击，以致国际律师仔细阅读所有说服力，文本总是会奖励其仔细重读。Acquisition of Territory 远远超出了它表面上对相关现行法的总结和就拟议法的关键问题提供专家意见的简要说明。从正确的角度来看，这件作品是一个折射出 1960 年代早期国际法世界的棱镜。詹宁斯巧妙地回避和推迟了反殖民正义的基本问题，有些人预计这些问题会在 1962 年 12 月关于获取领土的系列讲座中得到解决。将全球反殖民运动解读为“政策问题”超越法学家的严格关注充分说明了 1960 年代初期英国国际法的文化。詹宁斯使用法律将要求殖民国家负责的呼吁推迟到未来某个时候，在一些不同构成的国际体系中。在他的同类中，无论是过去还是现在，他都不是唯一的。詹宁斯使用法律将要求殖民国家负责的呼吁推迟到未来某个时候，在一些不同构成的国际体系中。在他的同类中，无论是过去还是现在，他都不是唯一的。詹宁斯使用法律将要求殖民国家负责的呼吁推迟到未来某个时候，在一些不同构成的国际体系中。在他的同类中，无论是过去还是现在，他都不是唯一的。