Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-04
NEW PACTS MAY RENEW
OLD BALANCE OF POWER
Italian. German and Russian Treaties
Seen Inspired as Move Against
French Ambition.


excerpts the Saar there are no terri
torial disputes between France and
Germany, and there are few concrete
disputes between France and Italy.
Nevertheless, as result of the al
lance system, the controversies between
France and Germany and between
France and Italy, far from being local
lied, have been enlarged to cover the
entire continent. The difficulty of find
ing a peaceful solution for. dispute,
say, between Bulgaria and Jugoslavla
is greatly increased If JugoSlavia is
bound by alliance to France and Bull
garia to Italy.
These new alliances have been de-
Tended on the ground that they merely
supplant the League of Nations system
that is, the aid of an alliance will
not be invoked by party until after
the League of Nations has failed to
solve a controversy by peacetul means;
From the legal standpoint this view OF
the postwar alliance may be correct.
Sees Gulf Between Two Views.
Politically, however, there is a fun
damental gulf between the alliance and
the League principles. The balance of
power principle regards nations as di-
vided in fundamentally antagonistic
groups. 1t looks upon all international
disputes in the light of this principle
it views any solution of a dispute as
advancing the interests of one group
against another.
In contrast, the League conference
principle regards nations as belonging
to one cooperative community, and 1t
believes that disputes between nations
may be solved upon the basis of justice
without doing injury to the ultimate
interests of any single power. Tech
nically, alliances may come into opera
ton only after the outbreak of war;
but actually they dominate the peace
time diplomacy of the parties to the al
liances, and thus aggravate interna-
tional controversies.
one illustration of the baneful oper-
ations of the new alliance system may
be found in the minority system. At
the peace conference Poland and the
states of Central Europe were required
to sign treaties protecting m1norltles
within their borders. The object of
these treaties was to prevent a type Of
persecution that had been one Of the
causes of the last war.
Under the best of circumstances, the
enforcement of the minority treaties,
for which the League Council is respon-
sible. would have been difficult. But
the difficulty has been increased by the
principal powers having minority obli-
cations, and these powers know that
because of their alliance France is
inevitably put into the position OF de-
Tending them at the League Council.
Consequently they have not felt obliged
to observe the minority treaties as
they would have been in case France
were in a position to look at the mi
norities question from an objective
point Of view.
Fortunately new aIignments are COM
ing into existence in Europe that strike
at the heart of the alliance system.
In some cases treaties of friendship
between two powers have been over
laid by new treaty with a potential
rival Thus Turkey concluded a treaty
of friendship with France in February,
1880, following its agreement with Italy.
Moreover, in 1880 five conferences Of
European agrarian states were held for
the purpose of arriving at agreement
upon common economic problems. It
is significant that these conferences in
cluded not only the little entente
countries but also the former enemy
powers of Bulgaria and Hungary. The
presence of NJ Flandin as observer"
at the second Bucharest conference in
dictates that France is attempting to in
fiuence this development
Because of its gold supply, France is
in position to grant liberal agricul-
tural credits to Eastern European coun-
tries. Nevertheless once the agrarian
states of Europe establish their indie
pendence from the industrial countries
of France, Italy, Germany and Britain,
1t Is unlikely that they will submit to
any form of outside political advice.
A second movement cutting across
the old-style alliances has recently
arisen in the Balkans. In October 1880,
Balkan conference was convened at
Athens under the auspices of the In
ternational Bureau of Peace. The con-
ference was entirely unofficial; never
theless it laid the basis for co-opera-
ton among countries which had for
merely been antagonistic.
The Balkan conference was followed
by remarkable diplomatic achieve
ment-the conclusion of a treaty for
arbitration and naval limitation be-
tween Greece and Turkey. Eight years
ago Greece wished to annex Constanti-
nople and Asia Minor The conclusion
of this agreement of October 80, 1880,
between M. Venizelos and MuStapha
Renal indicates that this old period
Of aggressive hostility has come to an
end.
Treaty Bars Navy Race.
In the naval limitation protocol the
two parties promise not to lay down
any new war vessels without advising
the other six months in advance in
order that the two governments, by
means of a friendly exchange of views,
may prevent a race in ornaments. This
type of agreement may serve as basis
for a Frarco-Italian accord.
In view of the past friendship be-
tween Bulgaria and Turkey, the con-
clusion of the October agreement has
paved the way for an understanding
between Greece and Bulgaria. If these
two powers, together with Turkey, can
effect e-approachment, the hope for
Balkan peace will be measureably in
creased
Anxiety over this area will not be
removed, however. until the problem of
Macedonia, which has embittered par
ticularly the relations of Bulgaria and
Jugoslavia, has been solved. Already
one or two agreements with this OBJ
ject have been concluded and 1t is
hoped that the new atmosphere Gre
ated by the first Balkan conference
may lead TO a more fundamental solu-
ton
For generations the Balkans have
oeen the birthplace OF european wars.
Russia and Germany fought for SUI
Within recent years France and Italy
have been engaged in a similar strig-
gle. If the outside world will let the
Balkans alone, it is not improbable
that they will solve their own diff
culties, and thus deal a vital blow at
the whole system of alliances in which
the Balkans have been enmeshed.
Fundamentally, however, the corrsc-
tive lies in strengthening the League
of Nations system of arbitration and
conferences system where interna-
tional disputes are not examined in the
light Of alliances but upon their merits,
and with desire to advance the inter-
ests Of the world as a whole.