The Washington times., 1915-02-21
MAKING OVER THE MAP

rigorous war.
MAKING OVER THE MAP
Back of the desperate efforts of a
combined British and French fleet to
smash a way through the strait Of
the Dardanelles, lies without much
doubt story of the underlying poll
tics of the war situation in Europe
that is in some ways bigger than
the story of the war itself.
In the Crimean war, more than
sixty years ago, France and Britain
united against Russia because in
their polity of that time it was not
regarded as safe to allow Russia to
control Constantinople. More than
thirty years after that war, when the
Russian armies had won to within
sight of the towers of St. Sofia, at
Constantinople, British warships
warned the Muscovites away, and
Constantinople was saved to the
Turks: better, as western Europe
viewed it, for Constantinople to be
Turkish than to be Russian.
At the beginning of this war the
alliance Of Russia with Britain and
France seemed to justify the expec-
tation that Russia would get Con-
stantinople and be allowed to keep it.
But France and England have not
yet got over their feeling that Rus
sia at the Golden Horn is danger.
So they are hammering away at the
naval road to the old Byzantine capi-
tai, determined, very plainly, to get
to the capital before Russia can get
there by land, and to hold the an
cient city, "Center of the World" as
at least trading stock against the
demands of the Muscovites when the
wars end shall bring the business of
remaking the worlds map.
We have seen in the British cam
paign from the Persian Gulf into the
valley of the Euphrates, the evidence
that Britain intends to control the
Asiatic empire of the Turks. The
Turk-always assuming that the al
lies shall WINS going to be retired
from international circulation. Brit
ain has in effect formally annexed
Egypt already. It will take Mesopo-
tamia. Asia Minor will go along with
Constantinople, sooner or later. In
short, the domain of the Turk is des-
tined for fate like that of Poland.
But Constantinople is a problem.
1t must be held by the western al
lies when the peace conference be-
gins, because the western allies will
have difficulties enough satisfying
Russian demands for a part of the
spoils.
Suppose Russia shall at the end
occupy East Prussia, Galicia, and a
considerable adjacent section of
Hungary; and suppose she insist on
remaining there? Peace on these
terms would enable her to pare down
the Germanic power to such ex-
tent that the German buffer against
Slavic onslaughts of the future
would be vastly weakened. If at
the same time Russia also held Con-
stantinople, the case for Russia
would be so strong that she would
have to be given something SUBJ
stantial or else there would be ev-
cry prospect of another war, just
as the Balkan conflict over a little
section of the Turkish raiment
caused a second war, among the al
lies that had previously defeated
Turkey.
Therefore, it is manifestly the
plan of the British to bring them
selves into domination Of the Ash
attic possessions of the Turk, and of
the Franco British entente to secure
Constantinople ahead of Russia.
Then there will be trading stock. If
Russia is to have Constantinople
handed over to her, she will be re-
CURED to make concessions else
where. Without much doubt the
British and French, holding Con.
stantinople, will demand that it be
made free city under international
guarantee. After that, they may be
ready to bargain with Russia.
The worlds eyes are on Flanders
and Belgium and the north OF
France; secondly, they are on Po-
land. Happenings on the Tigris, the
Euphrates, the Bosporus, are of de.
cidedly secondary interest. Yet it is
quite possible that the final event
will prove them the most important
of the whole war.
Washington Alumni of