Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-03-14
H. THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
OF TODAY

INTRO DUCTION: The president of the
United States, speaking on January 8, 1918,
laid down program OF the Jorld's peace"
through which he said, ran IAN evident prin-
ciple,'' that of Justice to all peop' e. and ma
tionalities, and their right to live on equal
terms of liberty and safety with one another,
whether they be strong or weak Before
the, war every nation, except er1-ldny, Aus
tria-Hungary, and Turkey, vas ready to ac-
cept that principle as the guide of it's foreign
relations. Those three, dominated by one
spirit assumed that their might was their
right, their people their pawns ano the world
tt cir booty--if that could be managed. Cur
rent international relations aIe Il contest be-
tween those two ideals, with the second rapid
y meeting it's fate.
Triple Alliance and Triple Entente: The
Triple Alliance, which muddied '.e waters OF
European good will for forty years, began
with treaty between Germany and Austria
Hungary. signed October 7, 1879. That ALI
ance was signed because Germany's interests
compel us to prevent Austria being de-
stroyed." Italy was forced in by another
diplomatic situation created by Bismarck, and
Rumania was dragged in by ustr1a-Hungary.
The reason for this alignment was Germany's
action in 1871, when she attempted to bleed
France white" and, in 1878, when she acted
the 'honest broker" and really made hor'
nets nest out of the Balkans, where Russia
was interested in the Slavic populations.
France and Russia were compelled to pro-
tect themselves and, after watching the oper-
atoms of the Triple Alliance for ten years.
concluded one of their own in 1S91-93 to last
as long as it's opponent. Great Britain, seek
ing peace and having learned the value OF
good will and justice from her extensive colo
NAL responsibilities, found that she could
work honestly and straightforWardly with
these two. From that fact grew amicable Brit
ish arrangements with those two countries,
which ripened into firm friendship in the
ten years preceding the war. Italy was al
ways a restless bed-fellow in the Triple ALI
ance, and the spirit of justice actuating
French and British foreign relations was
more attractive to Ter than the blood and
iron policy of her allies. Anglo-Japanese
friendship was originally fostered by a Ger
man intrigue but it grew from mutual con-
viction in the sense of fair dealing Of the two
countries.
The Armament Wall: Bad political condi-
lions have always been reflected in the amount
of armament maintained by the powers. In
the past generation technical Improvements
have also accounted for much increase, but
the really serious advance toward Europe be-
coming an armed camp was due to the rest
less insistence of Germany upon using her
armed strength as the makeweight in all her
foreign relations She appealed not to the
Justice of her cause but to her mailed fist"
as the decisive influence; she stood around in
Shining armOr,' and it was inevitable that
other nations, jealous of hard-won liberties,
should expect an onslaught and prepare to
meet it.
In 1899 the first Hague conference was con-
vened with the principal purpose OF reducing
ornaments. In that respect it accomplished
nothing. The next year GermHny. which not
unreasonably possessed strong military forces,
declared that her future lay on the sea. The
navy law of that year was not gra1diose but
dishonest. No one outside Germany could
make out exactly what it provided And every
year thereafter disturbing changes were made
in the program European nations could not
but conclude that Germany meant trouble.
Great Britain, the county most affected
by the upset in naval balance, tried repeat
eddy to reach an arrangement with Ger