BLACKMAIL AND FOREIGN POLICY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3807, 11 September 1936, Page 9

BLACKMAIL AND FOREIGN POLICY

“This conflict is not over,” writes Lord Hugh Cecil, in the “Times,” “nor have ‘sanctions’ been without important effect in it.. I agree that complete collectivist success is, ow ing to the military weakness of Abyssinia, impossible. But ‘sanctions’ ap pear to be quite strong enough to achieve the failure of nationalism. The continuance of ‘sanctions’ would have reduced Italy to financial collapse and great economic distress. All Europe would have seen that lawless nationalism does not pay. This would have been a great matter, much greater indeed than saving Abyssinia. The Government seem to have been diverted from this policy by what in plain words must be called fear. Fear that Italy would make war upon us, fear that general war might ensue, fear that Germany might attack the Western Powers supported by an offended Italy. The whole British people will support its Government if war be miade upon us by another nation, whatever the quarrel; and it is, I think, deeply convinced that it is only by unflinching support of the League that we can hope to attain to an ultimate state of assured peace. Moreover, we cannot escape war by mnning away from the risk of it. Such submission is in effect submission to blackmail; and that there is no escape from the blackmail by submission is notorious.”