ITALY’S VAIN DREAM

Evening Star, Issue 23723, 2 November 1940, Page 6

ITALY’S VAIN DREAM

A RESTORED ROMAN EMPIRE [R. H. Maskham. in the r Christian. Science Monitor.’] Italian armies are pushing eastward, from Libya into Egypt. Italian boya Are marching over burning sands under a flaming sun, in one of the most completely desolate areas on the globe. Why has Signor Mussolini sent them on suoa an expedition? __ . The Ihice has made this clear. He i» trying to set up a “ New Roman Empire,” or rather to restore the ancient Roman Empire. He has not only proclaimed this from the house tops, bat has announced it in great posters. H» has advertised it. His posters are spectacular. They are mounted in one of the most imposing places on earth—namely, in the Forum, at Rome. • They graphically, show how that city once dominated th» world and dramatically tha Duce’s desire to regain for Rome that old dominion. The Italians now fighting in Africa’# sands are following phantom Caesars toward imperial conquests. Marshal Graziani’s regiments march along tha> routes of ancient Roman legions, that' conquered deserts, valleys, and mountain heights and pushed the borders of Rome beyond all the outposts of civilised man—except in China and India. BRICKS FROM ANCIENT BARRACKS. The same Roman legion that guarded Mount Calvary in Palestine, also, at timet, camped beside the Thames. On® still finds bricks from their ancient barracks. Signor Mussolini has sent hit soldiers to reclaim those bricks of ancient Rome. No leader ever undertook such a prodigious task—nor so hopeless a one. To achieve it, Italy’s 43,000,000 persona must defeat the British, German, and Rusisan Empires and completely liquidate with France. They must also crush Spain with 25,000,000 inhabitants, then 20,000,000 Balkan Slavs, and 16,000,000 Turks. Likewise they must subjugate the Arab world, which comprises more than 60,000,000 persons. Every one of these opponents is formidable, It is doubtful whether Signor Mussolini could so much as dominate the Balkan Peninsula. With his fleet and army he could, of course, take Greece, but the Serbs, Bulgarians, Montenegrins, and Croatians are among the best soldiers in the world. They also inhabit mountainous lands that could easily be defended. ARAB SOLIDARITY FORMIDABLE. The new Caesar would find it incomparably harder to take the Balka'ns . than the ancient ones did. The Turks, . too, are famous for their military prowess. A full millennium they have been known as “ terrible ” fighters. Thejr land is broad, their needs simple, their endurance phenomenal. A modern conqueror could not sweep over their land as Alexander and Csesar did. Even to keep in subjection the Arabs of Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Arabia, andl Egypt would be a mighty undertaking. A few score thousand Arabs in Palestine have causecf the British much, l trouble. A rising feeling of nationalism and a growing • sense of solidarity make the, Arabs more formidable than they heen'aS’aEy itilhS since they were conquered by .the Turks centuries ago. In addition to all this, it is not to be supposed that a strong nationalist Spain would retake Gibraltar and restore ancient prestige for the sake of Italy* Spain also has flaming imperial ambitions. It has an ancient glory as glittering as Rome’s. It aspires to power and dominion- as well as to control of the western Mediterranean. In fostering Spanish nationalism, the Dues is helping to build a force that may well he dangerous to his Italy. ' Still, all of these forces are merely secondary obstacles. Even if Signor Mussolini should be able to surmount them, he would find Great’ Germany, and Russia directly in his path. He could not cope with asingle one of them alone. Of course. Germany is doing all it can to help Italy destroy , Great. Britain, and -may later do tha ' same with Russia. Success in both undertakings is not inconceivable. But it would not further the restoration of ancient Rome. ’ A DWARF BESIDE GERMANY. A German Empire that had crushed Great Britain,. Russia,, and Franca would have such prodigious power that Italy would seem a tiny dwarf beside it. It would be infinitely _ more dangerous to Italy than any existing State. 1£ Signor Mussolini helps Herr Hitler to a final triumph he will not only closa every road to his. “New Rome Empire'” but will cause the eventual sub-' faction of Italy to foreign control. To see how extremely difficult Signor Mussolini’s military task is one need only recall that it took Italy more than a year to take Tripolitania from Turkey, that in the World War Italy had only meagre military successes, that Italy’s victory in Ethiopia was that of an armed giant over a defenceless child, and that Italian soldiers did not greatly distinguish themselves in the Spanish civil war.

INFERIOR TO C/ESARS’ SOLDIERS, The men trying to re-establish the Caesars’ empire cannot be compared to; the Caesars’ soldiers. -Those ancient legions, however, did not have to overcome a single great State at the height of its power. Tiny Greece had already humiliated Persia. Alexander had smashed it to bits., There was no European Power at all—only unorganised barbarians. Egypt was the prey, of every • bold adventurer. So th« Caesars’ Eome ha'd no foes such as tha Duce faces. Marshal Graziani would seem to ba leading his men across desert sands on a hopeless errand. He may take Egypt —Napoleon did it at a stroke. Great Britain, like other empires, might succumb. A few temporary successes may cause the populace of Eome to cheer Napoleon was applauded for his African victories, but that will be only the beginning of defeat. Whether freedom or absolutism wins,; the new Caesar seems bound to lose.