THE BROKEN REED
Sir-The articles on Indonesia recently published by you underline the fact that the United Nations Organisation is doomed to failure ag @n instrument for securing permanent world peace. Like the late lamented League of Nations, the Security Council is full of good intentions, but has no power adequate for enforcing its decisions — as witness Dutch refusal to permit UN investigation in Indonesia and Russian actions in regard to the Balkans. The world is leaning on a broken reed. The reasons for failure are chiefly two: First, the nations are foolish enough to suppose that a gathering of representatives of so-called sovereign nations,
each with a pistol in his pocket and meeting under conditions of intense insecurity, will produce permanent world peace, The situation is aggravated by the fact that whereas most of the representatives possess only single-cham-bered one-shot weapons, three of them have repeating automatics---the atom bomb potentialities. Second: ignorance or wilful ignoring of history which supports the contention that leagues of socalled sovereign states have never -yet prevented war, but on the contrary invariably end in war amongst the members. The Roman Empire imposed peace on the then known world for 250 years. When communities became nations, internal wars between petty princes and barons ceased because the national King was supreme ruler. British rule in India ended internal wars between princes. British rule in New Zealand ended intertribal Maori wars. The obvious lesson is that not until the nations are prepared to surrender all matters pertaining to armed forces and armaments to .a World Authority’ so that there shall be only one armed force in the world, will there be permanent peace. The "sovereignty" in these matters that the nations chatter so much about is ar illusion. National representatives will then be able to meet and confer about other affairs without any pistols in their pockets and under conditions of security favourable to peace, How tragically comic it is that the human mind, confronted with a matter demanding immediate attention, side-steps it and concerns itself with other affairs that are of no importance so long as this vital first thing is neglected.
J. MALTON
MURRAY
(Oamaru),
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19470905.2.14.13
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 428, 5 September 1947, Page 15
Word count
Tapeke kupu
360THE BROKEN REED New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 428, 5 September 1947, Page 15
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in