Military observers have long watched the Bolivia-Paraguay War as a test case of what a modern war of maneuver with limited artillery backing can be. Lately it has also become a test case of what the League of Nations can do to stop an actual war between two of its members.
The League asked both belligerents to stop and arbitrate (TIME, Dec. 3). Losing Bolivia agreed, winning Paraguay refused. The League’s timelimit expired this week. Some 35 member nations had clamped an armsembargo down on Paraguay, lifted it entirely from Bolivia. Automatically, according to the League Covenant, Paraguay had committed a technical “act of war” against all League member nations. Paraguay’s reaction last week to this painful situation was prompt, simple, drastic. Like Japan and Germany, Paraguay resigned from the League.
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