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The thesis of this paper is that governments of some otherwise enlightened states are increasingly fearful of acknowledging the restraints imposed on them by existing international law. They are also reluctant to enter into new commitments by way of international conventions that would expand the reach of international law. The paper asks whether these fears are based on a true understanding of international law or on some distorted view of it. It will draw comparisons and some contrasts between Australia and the United States in their reactions to a number of recent events as well as to some enduring situations of contemporary relevance. Had time (and the limits of my research) permitted, one might also have examined public attitudes toward international law in China, Japan, and Russia in this context, where similar fears appear to be entertained. France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, also enlightened states, appear by contrast to belong to a group more dedicated to international law. As Robert Kagan has recently remarked, the experience of two world wars at close quarters, and the formation of the European Union, have made the European countries more dedicated to process, where the United States is more interested in results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how the assimilationist elites have responded to the evolution of Jewish anti-Zionism in France, Germany, Great Britain and U.S. The battle between Zionists and assimilationists in Western and Central European Jewry has brought a great impact in the history of Jewish self-definition as a group. The battle has also opened the opportunity for liberty, equality and economics in France. The development of Diaspora Judaism in the U.S., and the reinforcement of Jewish emancipation in Great Britain are also discussed.

This article discusses the emergence of the French New Wave in the film industry. According to the French press, New Wave refers to the novel lifestyles of 1950s French youth. It shows modern trends among U.S. and British youth. However, film critics use New Wave to designate unconventional, youth-oriented French films. Examples of these youth-oriented French films include "Et Dieu créa le femme," directed by Roger Vadim and "Les Amants," directed by Louis Malle. There have been several competing perspectives on the concept of New Wave in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The article explores the history and progress of moving image archives. According to the author, the moving picture archives are a recent phenomenon resulting from various technological innovations that existed during the 19th century. During the mid-1890s the movies came into being. Both William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, an Englishman who worked for U.S. inventor Thomas Edison, played a key role in the development of motion pictures and supported the validity and usefulness of the moving image archive. The first successful film archives were established after the U.S., Great Britain, France and Germany collaborated to form an International Federation of Film archives (FIAF).