Grave Events Are Pending

'HE future shape of international affairs should soon be seen. It is likely that the free world will erate much longer the tension, un iness and economic dislocation that s been forced upon it for six years the Muscovite conspirators.

United States has been leading the rid. But a year ago, USA suspended dership, because no man knew the licies which would give shape to icrican plans in 1953. Now, the lerican people have spoken. Their ection to their chief executive is t they want an early end to the mmunist arrogance which is under ling our morale, and to the Com nist machinations which threaten destroy Western civilisation, enhower may be expected to carry their wishes. aking advantage of the Socialist plessness in Britain and France, I the dithering weakness of the man Administration in America, Muscovites manoeuvred the stern Powers into a ridiculous ation. Powerful Western forces e been committed to the endless : of fighting Chinese hordes in ea, Indo-China and Malaya, while control of Governments and of /eminent instrumentalities through the Western World have been left ely to the world’s most remarkable ection of idealists, dreamers, Jaucrats and plain “ratbags.”

But, within the year, the British and Americans have cleared out the wreckers and compromisers, and elected to office people with at least some strength and ruthlessness, with trusted leaders; and France, while still cluttered up with Socialists, appears to have returned to realism.

Everything indicates that the stale mate of 1952 is about to end.

As the Korean War is being fought through the United Nations Organ isation, the first changes probably will come there. Already, since Eisenhower was elected, Trygvie Lie has resigned from the chief executive office, and Russia, spitting and snarling, has rejected one plan which might have made an armistice pos sible. Another plan is being prepared. .

AN effort will be made to preserve ** at least the facade of UNO, but already its doom seems to be sealed.

It is hopelessly split between the Westerners and the Reds; and, of the 60 or more non-Red countries in the organisation, not a dozen of them have contributed men or materials to the struggle in South-east Asia.

Peace and security will return to the world only when the two greatest Western Powers, USA and British Commonwealth—with, it is hoped, the support of France and Western Germany—take charge of inter national affairs, and really police the

world. They may do it through UNO, as America has tried to do; but, with or without UNO, they can achieve nothing until the evil power of the Russian bloc is finally broken.

There now is increasing evidence that this viewpoint—which is the viewpoint of realism, completely justified by the 1920-1940 history of the League of Nations—has been accepted by the real leaders of the Western world; and an overall survey of the coming events of 1953 will surely show that an attempt is being made to implement it. Events will move slowly, and the efforts of our leaders to really achieve something will almost certainly be disrupted from time to time by the activities of the clamorous little people who direct the Socialist Opposition parties.

The intelligent observer must have patience.

It is a maddening thought, how ever, that if the Western world were completely united, instead of being divided so irresponsibly by the Socialist leaders and the Communist plotters, it might be possible to end this intolerable international situation by negotiation, backed by firmness and strength.

As it is, there is very real danger of war. Rather than retreat from the positions they have taken up since 1945, the Reds may decide to put everything to the hazard; and the Western leaders cannot avoid that challenge and preserve freedom. We who remember World War I and II

literally shrink in horror from the thought of World War III; yet that would be preferable to Communism.

The explosion of the British atomic bomb in West Australia and of the American hydrogen bomb in Eniwe toks, in October, was not accidental.

These things are part of a pattern.