[?]itorial ...

[?]Scow And Cairo Gain Moral Victory

When Usa Humiliates France, Britain

! mincing words —the with al of Britain from the Suez is the most humiliating of British history in 50 fnless there are, in the de situation, factors which at lent we cannot see, it is that what remains of irestige as a Great Power and that the United faces a very grave crisis. cperienced and intelligent of international affairs still nderstand why the United lould have allied herself Wogs of Egypt, the Reds w and the Cranks of the ations to do this thing to i and France, who are ; only worth-while friends d that is moving inevitably oody showdown between Individualism and Com ’otalitarianism. ly, in moving into Port ;ain and France were act defiance of the United But consider the history »ast Asia and the Middle 3 1945. step, Britain and France, mostly to the deliberate lialism of United States, i driven out of the Asian le East countries, long be e countries were fit for nment. If Britain and /ere not to govern the from colonialism to in :e, it should have been and shaped by the United United Nations—like the f Nations, and like any ganisation—never has been r will be anything but a e talk-shop, where all ontemptible little nations,

mnot effectively govern

s, insist on having a vote yoice in the government >rld. UNO can and will g, beyond employing tens ands of planners and md producing mountains reports. i-colonial move has gone ten years, unchecked and :cted; and Britain has lief sufferer. Her economy, nturies, was built around eas trade, and especially de with the vast territories :h the Union Jack flew, s driven out of her terri markets shrank, and the

social wellbeing of her 50 million people was threatened.

Inevitably, the time came when she had to stop and make a balance-sheet. That was in 1955-56.

Cold statistics showed that she must either hold on to what she had, or face the colossal task of changing England and Scotland from a manufacturing and food-importing economy to a primary production and feed-yourself organisation.

Britain, since World War 11, had done some things that were in the category of political lunacy. She had withdrawn her troops from the Suez Canal area; evacuated the Sudan with a lordly swagger; per mitted Russia to undermine her in fluence in the Arab States: and made an indescribable mess of Cyprus. When Nasser—important only because of the Red hand con trolling and directing him—seized

the Suez Canal, Britain decided that f,,Jfu had r 1 the Point of no further-retreat.

She was driven to that stand by the cold logic of economic facts, f£ d of recent history. Developments J^ er ? would indicate either that Britain has been betrayed by fn 9 p S nHT h ° m^ h ! regarded as her best ™i£ d \ 0r Britis h Govern f^ii has b ! en in the hands of fumbling and timid men who are incapable of guiding the nation in an international crisis.

AS this is written, early in De cember, we know only that Britain and France have agreed to leave the Canal immediately and unconditionally,” and that a rag tag-and-bobtail of United Nations troops is taking over police duties there; that Britain is faced with economic disaster, through lack of oil; and that Britain’s enemies are literally screeching their triumph.

We do not know whether there is some secret understanding between Britain and United States. There could possibly be an agreement to the effect that, if Britain and France will assist United States to establish UNO control over the Canal, UNO will direct the Canal’s future operation, and shape Middle

"Sure, we still don't like Australia’s attitude —but how will our Colombo Plan students get home?” (In early December, Indonesia called off its month-long ban on Qantas planes—imposed because the Australian Government supported British and French action in Egypt-but continued its ban on British Overseas Airways Corporation's use of Djakarta Airport.)

East politics; and that American interests will quickly end Britain’s oil famine (at a price, of course!).

If there is no such agreement (and even that would be a poor thing), then the withdrawal of Britain and France can be described as the most shameful national collapse in recent history. In any event, it looks like the end of British influence in the Middle East and Cyprus, and of the French in North Africa IF Britain and France had carried on with their march into the Suez area, it might have led to a great war.

But what of that? Does any in formed man believe to-day that another great war can be avoided?

Not a man or a country of the West wants war; but our wishes do not count in this matter. War is in evitable, so long as the monstrous evil thing called the Soviet Union retains its enormous armaments and its determination to bring the whole world under Red domination—and so long as we are prepared to fight for our freedom.

If Britain and France had gone on to defend the thing that is the basis of our civilisation —namely, the written contract, which in this case was the Suez Canal Treaty they would have been morally justified, and their national prestige would have been raised; and British and French interests in the Middle East and Southwest Asia would have been guarded—a matter of great importance to the South Pacific countries.

As it is, the control now goes over to the inept and expensive United Nations, and the unpredict able United States. It is not a pretty prospect. • If America is logical in establishing UNO as the worlds policeman, then America herself should disarm. But if America like any realist man or nation — is not prepared to leave her future security and wellbeing in the hands of UNO, and insists on maintaining an American force capable of meeting the Russians, then America has neither right nor reason in enforcing the Anglo-French withdrawal from Egypt.

Britain and France have no con fidence in UNO, and were honest enough to act accordingly, America is manifestly dishonest (or just plain stupid) in many aspects of her foreign policy. While Britain and France, as the result of American policy, now are sliding into economic disaster and anti- Americanism, America broadcasts her desire for world peace, plays snakes-and-ladders with UNO and (out of sight, behind the scenes) builds bigger and better bombs.

What a world! No wonder the

Anglophobes laugh, and laugh. Ten years ago, the Kremlin set out to destroy the “capitalist” system by undermining the British Common wealth, and thus kicking the chief supports from under the United States. It is having remarkable success. And how interesting to see the United States herself helping in the good work! —R.W.R.