Book excerpt: The Academy is an institution for the study & teaching of public & private international law & related subjects. Its purpose is to encourage a thorough & impartial examination of the problems arising from international relations in the field of law. The courses deal with the theoretical & practical aspects of the subject, including legislation & case law. All courses at the Academy are, in principle, published in the language in which they were delivered in the Collected Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law. This volume contains: Reform, but not Revolution. General Course on Private International Law, by Peter M. NORTH Questions de droit international prive et dommages catastrophiques, par Tito BALLARINO.