America Again Looks at the World.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18926, 15 February 1927, Page 8

America Again Looks at the World.

In yc.steril.iy morning's cable news there was a summary of the attitude of the four fp - eat naval Powers to President proposal for a conference on the limitation of naval armaments, while prominence was given two days earlier to the virtual refusal of the United States to become a party to the Permanent Court of International Justice. In different ways these two sets of messages will make the average person wonder where America stands in international affairs, while a study of the Senate's reservations to the World Court protocol will give them the impression, of course quite erroneously, that the United States has no real desire to assist in a solution of the world's problems. The essence of those reservations was that the Court should not, "without the "consent of the United States, entertain dny request for an advisory " opinion touching any dispute or question in which the United States has "or claims an interest," that the constitution of the Court should not be altered without her consent, that recourse to the Court for the settlement of differences between the United States and another State could only be had through a treaty between the and that adherence to the Court "shall not be taken to involve " any legal relation on the part of the "United States to the League of "Nations or the assumption of any " obligations by the United States " tinder the Treaty of Versailles." A World Court with one Power admitted on such teribs would obviously have been a mockery, but it is hardly, fair to from these reservations that the United States is committed to a policy of selfish isolation. It has to be remembered that two forms of political , idealism, one represented by the Monroe Doctrine and the other by the Washington Conference, have yet to be reconciled in the United States. The country is at present involved in grave complications in Central and South America, and it is only natural that cautious politicians should look with suspicion on a World Court or anything that seems to threaten the corner-stone of her foreign policy. The intervention of any foreign influence in Mexico or Nicaragua would touch the United States immediately and vitally, whereas an enforced limitation of her navy would bring no political complications of any kind. It might not be very far from the truth to say that America's contradictory attitude towards international affairs indicates that a very considerable proportion of her people would like to help the rest of the world in solving its difficulties, but cannot quite endure the thought of the world's helping them. Besides, .an enormous number of -Americans—how many British people never realise —have been reared in the - tradition that the Old World is in its quarrelsome dotage. If they do not actually think tfeat Europe, is done, they think that it is a very unpleasant place to live in, and its inhabitants very dangerous people to know too well; and it is not much use calling this mere vanity and selfishness. The more thoughtful Americans know what the facts are, and it is not necessary to do anything about the others except to go on refusing to be irritated by them.