POWER AND PEACE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 November 1941, Page 6

POWER AND PEACE

THE NEED OF MAINTAINING HIGH STANDARDS. In the recent discussion about the efficacy of overwhelming power as a means to securing the peace of the world I notice that the term “overwhelming” is taken in a purely quantitative or arithmetical sense, says Professor L. P. Jacks, in a letter to “The Times.” But in dealing with human affairs we need to remember that two and two do many things besides making four. A power might be overwhelming in the sense of being twice as big as any power likely to oppose it, and yet ill compacted, mishandled, or too big to be manageable, in which case it would lose its overwhelming character and be liable to overthrow by a well compacted, skilfully handled and manageable power half its size. It might be vested in weak, incompetent Governments, and by them put into I action at the wrong moment, or con-| ceivably not put into action at all — and with the same result. Under these conditions its arithmetically overwhelming character would be nothing to the purpose. When we think of this overwhelming power composed, say, of the combined British and American forces, and wielded by Governments represented in such wise and vigorous statesmen as Mr Churchill and President Roosevelt, one feels fairly satisfied that it would be effective for its purpose, and do what those who advocate its creation believe it would. But this satisfaction disappears when one thinks of it as controlled by some who have previously been in their high positions, or by some of the Governments in office within living memory. In such hands the overwhelming power, however large numerically, would cease to be overwhelming, and might be more of a danger to peace than a security. Their two and two would make less than four. I submit, therefore, that those who advocate this interesting experiment in ower politics should give some reasonable assurance that a supply of wise and vigorous statesmanship will be forthcoming to control it.