The Gisborne Times MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 1926. THE CONFUSED EUROPEAN CHESS BOARD

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12751, 6 January 1936, Page 4

The Gisborne Times MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 1926. THE CONFUSED EUROPEAN CHESS BOARD

There will be much speculation as to what Italy wishes to be inferred from her claim that she has taken all the international, as well as national steps, which she considers would he necessary to enable her to resist tile imposition of an oil' embargo in addition to the existing economic and financial bans to which she is now being subjected. It. may be agreed that the most innocent construction .applicable to the suggestion would be that' she is certain that iion-sanotion-ist nations, in particular the United States, will maintain regular supplies of oil to her. On the other hand, it is, of course, quite possible that the claim is sinister in character and is intended as a. warning, to the pro-sanction-ist nations that Italy will not be without allies, if she attacks them as a reprisal for extending the embargo scheme. It is an open secret- that Italy has, for some -months, been angling for Germany’s help: hence France’s anxiety. France, however, can blame nobody but herself for the delicate situation in which she to-day finds herself. If she eventually should, to please Italy, let the League of ■ Nations down she will he no better off. Seemingly, France desires again to have the aid of Italy, as well as of Britain and of Russia, in the event of another war betwoc-n her and Germany. It is, however, most unlikely that 'Gennany would aid Italy against the p’ro-sanctionist nations and risk Italy ranging herself against her in another great struggle in which Franco would bo her primary foe. The plain facts are that Germany is more distrustful of Russia than of any other nation to-day. What is very annoying to her is that Russia has entered into some sort of alliance with Czccho-Slovakia which would give Russia a right-of-way on to the German frontier. When the matter comes to ho boiled down, it is elenv that France has all along simply been studying herself. True it is that, up to 12 months ago, she held that the League was likely to be the stoutest bulwark she could shelter behind. On second thoughts, however, she decided that she would, if possible, make her position doubly sure by re-aligning the main group which Germany and Austria and their minor associates had to face. Plainly, she took Britain’s help for gran'ted. Then her Government re-arranged an alliance—believed to be of military character—with Russia and some of the Balkan States. In turn, just twelve months ago, a secret military agreement was made with Italy, despite the fact that it was common knowledge that Italy was preparing to attack Abyssinia, a fellow-member of the League. In all the circumstances, it is not at all surprising that Germany should have been spurred on to augment her armaments, with the result. tliat, to-dav, she is beyond curbing. In Europe now, the major struggle in the background is Fascism v. Anti-Fascism,' with Germany and Russia in’ the principal rival voles. France is largely anti-Fascisfr to-dav, but- nobody can foretell what may be the position there oven a few months hence.