Evening star., 1942-08-23
Scientific Approach to Peace
Begins by War Possibilities Cut
Fewer Nations, Fewer Conflicts, Algebra In
dcates, and British and u. s. Policy
Tends Toward This Ideal
By Felir Morley

this formula the abstract political scien-
tist would conclude that the most ra-
t:onal way to reduce the chances Of war
is to reduce the value Of "n"-the number
OF states possessing the sovereign au-
thority tc make war.
And If N" were reduced to one, tx"
would equal zero and international war,
as we know 1t today, would be eliminated.
Our formula, of course, is by definition
too narrow to envisage the possibilities
of civil war, which would probably be
augmented rather than diminished by
immediate establishment of single, GEN.
tralized world government
Reduction in the value Of IN, however.
Is course which runs counter to funda-
mental American instincts. On July 4,
1776 our forbears acted decisively to in
crease the value of "n," as it then stood,
and those who have inherited their ham
diwork properly feel that the establish
ment of the United States as separate
Nation was politically and culturally de-
sirable, not merely from our own but
from a world viewpoint. Feeling that
way about ourselves it is difficult, with
any logic. to deny the same claim to
other peoples.
Policy Not Always Uniform.
Nevertheless. it must be noted that
while our national origin predisposes us
to the increase of a." our policy has not
always been consistently directed to that
end
The Monroe Doctrine, for instance, in
origin laid down the principle that the
value Of N" In Latin America must not
be reduced by the Intervention OF Euro
pean imperialism. Yet, at various times.
there has been a tendency to reduce it
ourselves. Even under the present liberal
good neighbor" Interpretation OF the
famous doctrine certain official irrita-
| ton is perceptible over the determina-
ton Of Argentina to operate its foreign
policy without consideration of our In
| terests.
1t was our own Civil War which
brought the acid test to our attitude on
unqualified self-determination. In retro
spect no historian is disposed to deny the
strength of the legal case for secession.
/ Not slavery, but further increase in
the value of H. at the expense of North
American unity, was the fundamental
issue posed by the Confederacy. And it
was the preservation of the Union, rather
than the social and political status Of the
Negro, which was decisively settled at
Appomattox
Our opportunistic, but realistic, atti-
tude toward the problem Of n" is shared
by the British, whose claim to world
craftsmanship Is in part traceable to
lessons learned from the American Rev.
olution.
| The British method. as operative In the
self-governing Dominions, in Ireland,
Egypt, Palestine and Iraq, has been not
to oppose the nationalistic tendency to.
ward increasing 'n," but to deprive this
increase OF its war-making potential by
maintaining more or less complete con-
troll Of the foreign policy of the new
national units. London is as yet reluc-
tant to apply the method in India But
results there do not yet demonstrate
that this is wise.
Home Rule, But Little War Power.
Much the same policy Of limited self
determination has been applied by the
United States, both in the Philippines,
the Caribbean and the Central American
area. The method does not deny small
nations q practically complete cultural
and political autonomy. It does. by Dip
lomatic pressures, contract the sovereign
right to make war. And this deprives
our basic algebraic formula of some of
the explosive powers illustrated by the
ratio OF the increase Of *" when even a
single unit is added to the value OF m"
The flnesse of the Anglo American
approach, parenthetically, Is wholly lack
ing in the more crudely imperialistic poll
cies of the Axis nations. There the aim.
not without logic but in utter disregard
OF human susceptibilities. is ruthlessly to
pare down n" to brazen military ag-
gression and permanent conquest. Such
a policy was temporarily successful In
the days Of Rome. 1t is too overbearing
to succeed today.
1t Is to be remembered. however, that
opposition to the Axis technique will of
itself do nothing to solve the intractable
problem of ''n." We can be confident that
1t will not be solved by the method Of
absolute reduction-world empire. It
may be solved by the method of a fed
Grated superstate, in which direction the
League OF Nations made tentative ESSAY.
II may be approached, not solved.
through the method of unconnected re.
glonallsm, which would reduce the mum.
Der OF possible wars but make those that
DO occur still more universal in scope.
Whatever the answer, the urgency Of
the value OF "n"-of the problem of un-
limited national sovereignty-is not to
be denied by any who has the need for
better world order on his mind and con.
science.
Women's S Lond Army