New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-04
RUSSIA'S POLICY IN THE LEVANT.


OF this years Cretan as Of last years Ar
menian troubles the most significant feature IS
the devious course of Russian diplomacy. That
great Power holds the key Of the situation ana
is using it for her own advantage, regardless of
treaty obligations and of the claims Of justice
and humanity. That is not surprising. Rus
sia's treaties have before this been made appar-
emily only to be broken. She has now treaty
of alliance with France. But, as writer else
where in to-day's paper recalls, her alliances
with France have hitherto invariably been more
ominous than promising. There were three or
them before the present. and each of them was
a close prelude to war between the two sigma
tory Powers The radical divergence of interest
and inclination between them in the present
crisis half threatens that such will for the
fourth time be the case.
There are not many observers Of international
complications and the chances Of war as clear
of vision and sound Of judgment as Mr.. Fred
eric Villiers. the eminent British war CORE
spondcnt. He has recently given to BLACK and
White" his views of the present situation in the
East. and especially of Russia's intentions
there views marked with careful information
and admirable lucldity. and quite free from any
thing like unrcasonng Russophobia. He re-
Calls lndl tWcut' !tdlo USo, J"ot pSi0'' WV
Turkish War; Russia acted just as she is acting
now. She is now modifying her forces in the
great Pruth Valley just as she did in 1877. AS
soou as a gun is fired in Macedonia, he thinks,
she will begin her march through Rumania
toward Constantinople. The actual crisis may
be precpitated by Greece. but Russia is the au-
thor Of all the conditions which make the Crisis
posslble She is apparently trying to prevent
If she knows that such coercion will really drive
Greece to declare war? Then she Is playing
the characteristic game of working for war
under q peacemakers mask.
True. continues Mr.. villiers, Russia is posing
as the friend of Turkey. But that Is only for
her own good. She must always be judged as
one who does everything for her own benefit,
and never hesitates to break her word to gain
her end. If war comes on now, whoever else
loses or gains, Russia is sure to gain So. just
as soon as the Macedonian mountain passes
are clear Of snow, and then clear Of floods. hos
tilities may be expected. And that time is close
at hand. Russia fOmented the Bulgarian out
breaks twenty years ago for the sake OF war
in whi,h she would gain something, and in the
same way she is secretly fomenting the pres
en-. uprsings in Crete and Greece. The con-
wants war for the sake Of selfish aggrandize-
ment, and she generally gets what she wants
Those are Mr. yillier's opinions. They are at
least plausible and their source makes them
worthy of high respect
Greece and the Balkan Peninsula have more
than once before been the theatre OF life or
death struggles between European civilization
and Asian barbarism. At first Darius and
Xerxes, and later Amurath and Suleiman, were
the leaders of the Asian hordes. The conflict
now impending is Of the same old nature, nut
arranged on different lines. For the Asian
Power which now aims to dominate Europe
already occupies half of Europe and is led by
the Emperor of the most pOpulous European
state; and it moves against Europe from the
European instead of the Asian side OF the Dor
der. That the true European states are blind to
this fact. or needless Of it, is one of the curosi-
ties Of contemporaneous history.