Evening star., 1935-12-01
BRITAIN DOOMS ITALY
TOA COMMUNIST HITLER
Observer Sees League War ON ii Duce
Having Same Consequences of Allied
War Against Germany.
BY FRANK III. SIMONDS.

ample of the fashion in which
control of the League of Nations
by great power can be turned to ad-
vantage. Thus, at one time two great
powers have been carrying on i'm
perialistic operations in East Africa.
In Africa, italian troops have been
shooting up native forces in order to
destroy Ethiopian independence and
prepare the way for italian domina-
tion. In Egypt, British police have
been shooting down Egyptian students
whose demonstrations we're the ex-
preston of desire for independence.
Since the Italian enterprise has OBJ
viously and necessarily constituted a
breach of existing law, the British
have been able to mobilize the League
OF Nations and use it as an instru-
ment to coerce Italy. By contrast,
since the ancient British aggression
which today enables England to DOM
mate Egypt antedated the foundation
of the League, it does not constitute
a contemporary cause for action by
the League. Furthermore, by prevent
ing Egypt from entering the League,
the British are able to deny the Egyp-
tian people any approach to Geneva.
Actually, of course, the two imperial
isms are pursuing identical aims, the
one to have and the other to hold ter
ritories and peoples whose right to
liberty is thus denied.
Genevas Hands Tied.
Were the League the instrument of
Justice which Woodrow Wilson orig
inally designed it to be, then the ap-
peal of the Egyptian people would OBJ
tain just as fair a hearing at Geneva
as that of the Ethiopians The fact
that the British situation was based
upon existing treaty law. whereas the
Italian action involved breach of such
law, would not constitute an obstacle
to action by the League on behalf of
both of the peoples which are sim
1larly the victims of oppressive i'm
perlaliSm. What Woodrow Wilson
sought to establish was not a mere
combination of a world court and a
world police system to enforce treaty
law without regard to whether that law
was just or unjust, but an interna-
tional institution which could at one
time uphold just law and repeal or
revise unjust law.
That, of course, Geneva has never
been able to do because its hands
are tied by the fact that the veto
of a single country can prevent any
change in the existing treaty law. In
this fashion the British can prevent
Egypt from obtaining admission to
the League and from thus being able
to enjoy its benefits. The League
Is therefore an ideal instrument of
a sated imperialism resolved to keep
all its power and positions previously
conquered and at the same time to
prevent any other country from fol-
lowing its example in regions where
an alien possession would be
menace.
The perception of the use which
can be made of Geneva as a guar
antor Of the security of the British
Empire explains the change of Brit
1sh policy in respect to the League.
But the thing Americans are slow
to perceive is that British control
at Geneva enables British govern
ments to play both ends against the
middle. They can use the machinery
OF Geneva against a rival imperial
ism, as they are exploiting it against
Italy, and they can just as easily
employ it to prevent any interference
with the operations of their own
Imperialism.
Threat to British Empire.
II you strip the Egyptian issue OF
all irrelevant details it Is clear that |
a dozen million Egyptians are to be
denied liberty because Egyptian in
dependence would constitute a grave |
threat to the security of the British |
Empire. The Suez Canal, which lies
within Egyptian territory, Is the life |
line Of British imperialism. To domi- |
nate it is a matter of life and death |
to Great Britain. To prevent the |
establishment of a strong italian |
colony on the flank of the road be- |
tween Suez and Alden explains the |
present drive against Italy by Great |
Britain.
But it Is just as important for the |
British to prevent Egyptian independ- |
ence as to defeat Italian colonial as |
pirations, because if Egypt were actu- |
ally independent, then 1t could, as a
sovereign state, make such treaties |
with other countries as it might |
choose. It would be able, moreover,
to resist just such performances as
those Of the present day, when the
British are using Egypt as the base
for their naval and economic coer-
cion Of Italy. Then, if the British
should attempt to repeat the recent
performance, when their warships,
their aircraft and their troops were
concentrated in Egyptian waters and
upon Egyptian soil, Egypt could ap-
peal to Geneva, and the League would
be bound to act against England as
1t is now acting against Italy.
Today the Egyptian people are
being ground under the heel of British
military and naval power because they
have dared to demand independence
and to ask for it at a moment when
British imperial interests require that
Egypt be available as base for their
coercive and punitive operations
against Italy. 1t must be clear, how
ever, that the Italians, who are now
being treated to the spectacle of Brit
ish troops shooting down one African
people with impunity, in so far as the
League Of Nations is concerned, while
they are themselves being starved into
submission because they have used
the same methods against another
African people, are hardly likely to
be impressed either with the impair
TALLY of Geneva or the sincerity of
London.
Must Create Respect for Law.
Nor are the Italians likely to be more
impressed by the fashion in which
Japan is permitted to continue her
grandiose Asiatic operations without
let or hindrance from Geneva, while
their own modest enterprise, which
60 far hardly goes beyond the reoccu-
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