The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-19
GERMAN DIPLOMACY
From the Spectator.

From the Spectator. Azf
 IN our opinion the true explanation of
 what seems so inexplicabls in German
 A action is that German diplomacy is lblundering and inept in high degree. It
 is controlled by people who suffer from being too clever. We must never forget that being too clever may produce re- suits very similar to those that come from
 being very stupid. Oppouunism is no
 doubt bad, but it is quite possible to be too scientific in method and to look too far ahead in the regions of diplomacy Mme de Stael said long ago that thought
 which calmed other races unframed the Germans, and in our belief we are now witnessing a proof of her dictum. The German politicians have thought too long, too minutely, too scientifically on all as- poets of the international situation, and in doing so have banished human considera- 1 tions too completely from their political
 ehessboard. Not only do they try to gov
 ern their own policy by pure reason, but | they have come to believe that other peo-
 pie do the same. Hence their minds are
 filled with all sorts of delusive calculations
 as to the particular amount of strain
 Which the entente cordale can bear and pas to the point where it must break down.
 and.so forth; and again, as to the amour.
 of blackmail, or, to give it it's diplomatic
 nomenclature, compensation, which the
 French would rather pay than run the
 risks of war. To be guided by pure req,
 son and undlluted logic in international
 affairs is bad enough. but when as In the
 case of Germany, the conclusions thus
 reached are mixed with other conclusions
 arrived at in a totally different plane of
 action, that is, home politics, the result l becomes even more preposterous and
 alarming. Unless we are greatly mistaken
 one of the factors that enter into Ger
 man diplomacy and render it so dangerous
 just now is the notion that it would be
 convenient to have signal diplomatic | triumph before the December general | election, an event greatly dreaded by the present regime. But it will at once be suggested that though a triumph would
 be advantageous a defeat would be terri | biy injurious. This point, so far as we can understand, is met by another cross sug- gestion, which is that if Germany fails to bring off diplomatic coup she will be able to lay the blame upon her weakness at sea. But this gives the government | potent argument for doing what we do not doubt they want to do, that is, convince the country that there must be a new shipbuilding programme and large addi- tions to the navy. So will an enthusiastic inventor of new flying machine argue
 when you point out something which may easily go wrong with his machine and bring it to ruin Tn that case am quite | secure. My aeroplane is so constructed | that it will turn into a motor boat and be
 even more useful on water than in the. air"
 But perhaps we are weaving our own condemnation and committing the very fault of which we complain in entering on these rather subtle speculations as to the real explanation of German, diploma cy. At any rate, and even if we cannot fathom why the German foreign office does the things it does, we may at least point out how bad is the practical effect. Germany by her peculiar diplomatic meth ods undoubtedly raises obstacles in her own path. There are a great many peopie here and also in France who in the sb- stract~ consider the German claim for ground In which to expand a reasonable one, and who would very much like to find Germany wider scope, for her CO., ognized as the restless power and to put the matter at the lowest, diplomatists would very much like to see her kept out