Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-22
AMERICA IN ARABIA AND PERSIA

The recent Angio-Turk ana Turko-Per-
sian conflicts. the Arab revolt IN Arabia
and the domestic conflict
American in Persia invite the atten-
Interesta ton Of statesmen and
merchants to Americas
interests in Arabia and Persia And this
reflection Ii inspired. In part. BY the fol-
lowing note which appears In the Bulletin
OF the Comfte de Ia AISLE Franchise for May.
under the caption OF ..L'Affaire du Sinai
'sThe Emperor of Germany AFFECTS the
role of protector Of the Mussulmans OF the
world. It should not be forgotten however.
that, besides Russia. England and Ger
many, other powers are directly interested
In what is occurring In the orient. par
ticularly France, Italy and the United
States.
France, which has numerous Mussul-
man subjects should fear the realization
Of. the panislamic dream OF Abdul Hamid-
Possessing q secular influence in Asia
Minor, France cannot allow herself to be
shorn Of the commercial and Industrial sd-
vantases which she has the right to hope
for. She would lose, besides he great COM.
merce with these countries. She win
therefore be obliged to range herself along
side OF England and Russia, who ID beside
her friend and ally.
ITALY, who has ambitions In Tripoli and
In certain provinces Of the Balkans. has
great religious influence In the orient and
whose commerce Is considerable In the
Mediterranean, knows that she has against
her Germany, even In the question OF Tri
poll. Italy has every interest. therefore. to
prevent Germany from becoming a Medi-
her. and to aid In the dislocation Of the
Ottoman empire
The United States finally has shown it.
self particularly preoccupied in late years
In the unfortunate situation OF certain SUBJ
jects OF the sultan. The United States has
established In the orient numerous univer-
stiles, colleges. schools hospitals, orphan
asylums and sent devoted missionaries,
who have spent there enormous sums The
here. has exacted and obtained the
concession that the subjects OF Abdul Ha-
mfd-naturalixed Americans-shall be rec
ognized as such when returned to Turkey.
They have become thus by their great
number new brand Of citizens American
Arabs. and by the support which the United
States government extends to these citi-
portant factors In the orient. The sultan
seems to have forgotten these three great
nations whose Intervention will be decisive.
Perhaps, also the sultan may count upon
the triple alliance, but recent events have
shown him that such dependence was
simply delusion."
But there are other economical conditions
which obtain to force the United States to
consider her interests in
search Tor the orient. The extraor-
Open Door. binary capacity of the
modern machine has
changed the axis OF governmental policy
which was once confined by the limits of
the country. but which now looks beyond
the border for an open door, or, IL not an
open door. country where door may be
opened Such door. or doors. may per-
haps be opened in Arabia. in the Red sea,
and in Persia. in the Persian gulf
Cheik Said Is promontory which juts out
from the Yemen coast In the Straits of Bah
el-Mandeb In the Red sea opposite Djebonti.
and It's advantages as port, defensive sit.
uation ana heaRn station for the American
army in the Philippines is admirable.
A proposition to purchase would doubtless
be welcomed by France, because OF the
secular friendship OF the two republics and
OF the strength 1t would add to their mu-
tuai interests-to France In Cochin China
and the Indian ocean: to the United States
In the Philippines-not forgetting Great Bril-
tain and her interests In British India
=. cnelk SAID. aside from these conditions, is
the natural commercial market for the
Yemen and for the vast countries which ex-
tend eastward to rich and fruitful pasture
lands beyond and to the Persian gulf
Yemen, meaning In Arabic land situated
to the right of him who is looking eastward
has population roughly estimated at 400
600. Sana. the capital, contains popula-
ton of 10000. Hodeidah 10000 Loheiyeh
Mussulmans. Sunnites and Zeidites, and
possess each the celebrated universities at
Zebid and Damar. The Arabs of the He'd
zaz and Yemen are ordinarily peaceful, in
dustrious. but being liberty-loying, they are
now in revolt to throw off the Turkish yoke
M. Rene Pinon, whose authority on such
questions Is indisputable, says in La Revue
deux Mondes for July 1:
~
Always preoccupied in protecting.
against all eventualities of the future. the
security Of her routes to In
England's dia, England is directing all
Concern. her attention to Arabia. She
has averted for long time
to come. due to Japan, the famous Cos
sack PERIL which she deemed always ready
to charge upon her from the heights of the
Parnirs, down on the Indus and the Ganges:
now she Is menaced by the Germans, who
are pushing toward the roads to India. by
the Mussulman policy Of William H. And
1t is thus Arabia becomes the object of the
most urgent interest. The Arab peninsula,
still little known by Europeans. and which
has remained impracticable to their explo-
rations, has entered into the universal pc
litical play Her mysterious mass inter-
poses like thick fire screen between Egypt,
which the British occupy. and India. which
they possess: between the Red sea, which
they control by Alden. Perrin and the Egyp-
tian ports, and the Persian gulf, which Lord
Curzon made a dependency of the empire
OF India.
THE power which will dominate in
Arabia, which will make peace between
the emirs and sultans who dispute their
ephemeral sovereignties, viii command the
two great routes to India: Onewhich passes
by the Suez canal and the Red sea; the
other the land route, which from Asia Minor
or Syria descends along the rich plains of
Mesopotamia toward the Persian gulf.
which the railroad will follow from Bag
dad. The imam Of Muscat, the principal
of the Oman, has accepted the
British protectorate.
THE Persian gulf for fact is British
lake. the chief work of the viceroyalty Of
Lord Curzon who was able to defect Rus
sian influence from the Persian coast and
anticipate German action at Koweit. The
British protectorate has been established
over the Bahrein Islands, become British
MORT svny1,oncn British frnpO4f afions reach the