What Does Collective Security Mean?

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 45, 17 May 1935, Page 14

What Does Collective Security Mean?

"An Ideal, Rather Than Something That Actually Exists" -_The Early Christian Crusades And Their Modern Reflection-Russia As It Appeals To The Tourist. |

LEICESTER WEBB (3YA). NO one talked of collective security before the war. The idea was quite unknown. ‘The first inkling of the idea occurs in Article 11 of the Covenant of the League of Nations. That. article. says, "Any war: or threat offwar whether immediately affecting any members -of the League or not, is jhereby..declared to be a matter of coucern to the whole League, and ‘the League’ may take any action which may be {deemed wise and effectual to safeguard the peace of nations." Perhaps this sounds rather trite to you. Bui I thust..emphasise that it: introduced at ientirely new element into the conduct of international relations. Hithertg, if two Balkan Powers wanted to conduct a war, they had a perfect right to 0 so without interference from other nations, If any nations tried to restrain them, they had a perfect right to say, "This is our war, not yours. So ‘keep off the grass." War, in other * words, was not a matter of public ¢eoucern tothe community of © nations.

Article 11 changed all that-in theory. ai any rate, it abolished the right of alf members of the League to conduct wars without interference. Bor the idea of collective security "" eomes most clearly into Article 10 of the League, which.says, "The members of the League undertake to respect and to preserve as against external aggression the territorial-integrity and. existing political independence of all members of.the League." The word :security is, of course, easy enough! to understand. It means the immunity of a nation from attack; it means the . ability of a nation te prevent: parts of its territory from being. taken from it by force, It means the ability of a uation to prevent its citizens‘from being -molested by the citizens of other Hations. In the past nations have tried tc -maintain security by means of strong armies and navies and by means cf alliairrces, Security has been their own private concern. The security of Italy. was, in theory, at any rate, not "u inatter that, necessarily concerned "England. . One might compare this state of affairs with the state of af-

fairs which existed in Anglo-Saxon Iungland before the development of ‘organised government and: law, (AOLLECTIYH security is an ideal rather than something that actu... ally exists. The concept is there, b the reality remains to be achieved.e M did not take the world long to diseover that the methods of. ‘enforcing collective -security. laid. down in the League ‘Covenant wete not adequate for their purposes, For instance, -the Covenant talks about aggression, but ji. does not: attempt to- define ‘ aggressioh,- and it is much more ‘difficult’ ¢o . (ma a definition than you:.would thifk. ‘When, Japan. invaded. Manchuria sbe * that'she was. not committing av act of aggression, but nierely taking necessary steps to protect the livs> und property of her. subjects living. in that area. International law specifically recognises a right of intervention in certain circumstarices. ‘the League Covenant talks about war, but there is even some, difficulty: in digceyering what war is. Japan.was cha ged by the League Council with going. to war in defiance of. her obligations uuder the League Covenant. She replied that she had not declared war wn China, and that China had- not de ciared war against her, and therefore that there was no war. ; . MR. A. E. FLOWER (3YA) ‘THE two great causes of the expausion of the British Nation were the love of adventure inherent’ in" a maritime race, occupying a geographically central position in the Western ‘world; and the internal pressure due ‘to congestion of population in a.small und -prosperous: country, whose doors were ever open to the oppressed. of other lands. Trading posts*were first established, followed by direct British administration, then self-governing colonies, followed. by complete — selfgovernment, Exploitation of nati" races there undoubtedly. was, but 1% one can say that British colonisatiou was ever accompanied by barbarism and cruelty. Most of the early explorers were men of high character and niety: usually they received the blessing of the Church. before setting out. They were practical Christians. The spirit of Drake and Frobisher and Franklin has been handed. down so that in our time we have our Scotts und Shackletons; Henry Hudson and his crew took communion in a little city church before setting out to add that yast northern continent to Britain, and many others have followed in that region; down to Grenfell] of Labrador, who has laboured for] 40 years in that bitter clime, and who-was but a few months ago described as an educationist. a scientist, a philanthropist. a great gentleman and a _ereat Christian. Never was a commander, more careful of his.men’s health and-swell-being,

and more sympathetic to and understanding of the natives than James Cook; and, in other spheres of the lives of such men as Raffles in Malaya. Gordon in the Sudan, Stanley and Livingstone in Centra] Africa, Lugard in Nigeria, Rhodes in South Africa, and others too numerous to mention, give the key to the character of our Empirebuilders. And so the story goes. Under the peaceful and firm influence of British authority, the genius foy governing, which is the birthright of so many of our race, has manifested itself in every corner of the globe. Aud now we seem to have arrived at the sunreme consummation of it all-the steater colonies become self-governing dominions, standing on an equality of the nations of the world, and having Pe

ap equal voice in their common delib-erations-an Bgypt. taught and re leased to govern itself-an India of teeming millions. of mixed breeds and chaoti¢ history, with its leaders educated and given. a measure of self: government. practically equivalent to dominion status, the wisdom of which at present raises grave doubts in men's minds. This for generations has been the unswerving policy of Great Britain: to control, to direct, to educate. to free. She made one great mistake in her attempt to govern the colonies which are now the United States of America-a mistake which perhaps turned out for the best. Now the U.S.A. . though a foreign nation, has stil] the same governing stock.