The Washington herald., 1922-09-22
Europe Back Where She Started
InNear East, After Years of War
France and England Rivals in Field Where
Neither Can Gain, and Loss by One
Means Loss by Other.

With the refusal of the British
to support the French IN Syria, as
far back as the Paris Conference
days, with the launching of British
intrigue against French influence in
the eastern Mediterranean, the first
step was taken in the direction of
the present tragedy. The British
backed Feisal against the French.
In due course of time the French
backed Kemal against the British,
while the rising tide Of Mohamme-
dan fanaticism made it impossible
for Feisal to serve his British
masters usefully. Success: the
complete obliteration of Turkish
power; might have enabled the
British to win the game in the Near
East and escape the consequences
in the Islamic world.
Have Regained Prestige.
But the Turk has beaten the
the Islamic world. Now the fight
is between the Christian and tie
Mohammedan and 1t is Britain who
would keep from the followers Of
the prophet their capital Constan-
tinOple. and the holy city of Ad-
rianople. Thus the question mar
rows down to the simple problem
of whether Britain. at the risk of
revolt in India and new tumult in
Egypt. in the face of the certainty
of a Turkish invasion of Mesopo-
tamia and Palestine. is ready to
oppose Turkish return to Europe
and continue her support of the de-
feated Greek.
II the British decide to fight. then
we are in for a long and troubled
period in all of the Near East. from
Egypt to India II by any chance
either Italy or France should fol-
low Britain. then the trouble would
extend to the whole North African
shore of the Mediterranean. Blu:
there is small likelihood that either
France or Italy will bulge. There
fore the whole burden will descend
upon British soldiers and the al
ready overburdened British tax
payer will have a new load to
shoulder.
Mesopotnmia Is Goal.
But IL the British decide not to
fight then their loss of prestige will
Turk will move against MesoDo-
tamia. led alike by desire for re-
venge and aspiration to regain lost
territories and invited by a thor
oughly rebellious Mohammedan
population. Peace now. on Turkish
terms. will be surrender: but any
other terms seem almost wholly
impossible. Thus the Turkish vic
tory has. at one blow. swept away
the whole edifice of British policy
in the Near East and represents a
diplomatic defeat as well. almost
without precedent in Brit.TA his
tory.
Threats directed at kemal Pasha
at the present Observation-Disclosures
intended to restrain Turkish in
vaders on the Asiatic shores of the
Straits-sound well. but the fate of
Constantinople will not be decided
by British battleships at the Oar
danelles or the Bosporus, but by
Turkish divisions on the Tigris and
the Euphrates and by Mohammedan
millions in India and in Egypt.
Won't Risk Arms.
One can hardly conceive that
Kemal. with all the cards in mis-
hands. will now risk an unequal
fight with arms. when in any neSo-
tiation he is bound to have most of
the weapons and perhaps the tacit
support of all the participants bIt
the British.
There is no sorrier page in recent
history than that which is now be-
ing written in smoke and blood on
the shores of the Aegean. 1t began.
as have said. with the British
intrigue against the French Syrian
aspirations in the Paris conference.
1t led to the Frenchsadoption of the
Turk against the Arab, Of kemal
against Feisal. for it must not be
supposed that either British or
France was supporting a Christian
as opposed to a Mohammedan solu-
tion. Both were playing for infiu
ence and power and each was seek
ing at any cost to block the oII--..
Now there can be no gamer, al
though for the moment French in
fiuence will probably outweigh
British with Kemal. In the end
France stands to lose Syria, when
ever Britain loses Mesopotamia, the
whole European edifice in Asia
Minor and Syria. from the Gulf of
Persia to the straits opposite Con-
stantinople. Is crumbling and seems
doomed.
What remains to be seen is
whether the present explosion will