The The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1920. THE TROUBLED EAST.

Southland Times, Issue 18856, 23 June 1920, Page 4

The The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1920. THE TROUBLED EAST.

i | Recent cable news has shown how close to tin* truth the War Office was some lime | ago when, in spite of Mr Lloyd George’s j declarations to the contrary at (he time, it j hinted at the prospect of trouble in the I Middle Last. At that time, it will be rej niembered, the British Prime Minister wa.s | in France stating that (he outlook was suf-L-.dontly encouraging to make reductions in our armed strength necessary while his Minister of War, Mr Winston Churchill, was 1 painting gloomy pictures of cloudy in the East, making it advisable for (he Empire to )>e ready for armed action. The Prime Minßier was, of course, victorious in this little battle of opinions and the War Office, where the warnings had undoubtedly originated, sank into silence. For a long time > it. looked as if Mr Churchill's advisers had . been unduly apprehensive, but now that the Bolshevik advance is carrying the Soviet ; troops into Persia, and we find the states j bordering on India showing signs of unrest, ] people will ho prepared to give the mili- | tary people credit for having looked further i ahead than the politicians. The advance of the Bolsheviks on both sides; of the Cas--1 man Sea cannot be disassociated entirely form the Mohammedan unrest that seems to be as vigorous as il was some months ago. T.ord Bryce told the Hou-e of Lords ; that there was no need to fear any trouble l in India about the expulsion of the Sultan of Turkey from Constantinople. The fact that Hindoos and Mohammedans had united to protest against such a policy was not regarded by Lord Bryce as a significant incident, and it is probable that he will not : attach any greater importance to the view ! expressed by (he ex-Ameer of Afghanistan that “proud Afghans would not tolerate a ■ Khalifate under foreign protection.” There have been many reports regarding the presI cnee of Afghan emissaries in Moscow and | of the spread of Soviet propaganda in i Afghanistan and the neighbouring country, j but until the Red forces commenced to push j through Persia and threaten the small ! forces we had there, no definite evidence had been supplied of Moscow’s decision to I carry the. campaign further than the legiti- ' mate borders of Russia. The Turkish Nationalist movement may or may not be connected with the Bolshevik operations, but il-s strength is sufficient to give the Allies, which means the British authorities in the main, cause for anxiety. Evidently the Imperial Cabinet is alive to the dangers 1 corning from Russia and its decision not to withdraw the troops from Persia may be taken as a sign that the Bolshevik troops will not be permitted to proceed without an effort being made to check them. The forces in Persia, however, are not strong, and reinforcements will be necessary if the Soviet army is determined on any extensive action. The situation in the Middle East is complicated by the Mohammedan objection to any effort to Vaticanise the

Sultan or leave him in his old capital under the “protection” of a foreign power. The Arabs will probably not worry themselves unduly about the fate of the Sultan, because the establishment of the Khalifate in the Hedjaz would fit in with their ambitions, but the feeling in _ Egypt, in Afghanistan, in Turkey and in India is very strong, and the effects of that feeling-will be felt with the greatest severity by the British Empire. It is all very well for President Wilson from the White House in Washington to talk about kicking the Sultan out of Europe, and about the Armenian massacres, but the situation in the Middle East is too serious a matter for us to accept dictation by a man who is not closely in touch with the position and whose country’s interests are not involved. The Turkish Treaty is not yet signed, but there are already evidences of further ebullitions in India, and to igno-e these signs would be foolish.