tionalism were it safe and profitable to
retain a complete liberty of action. But no such plenary independence
is longer possible. Forces are at work which circumscribe national
autonomy and compel each nation to act with reference to the will of
others.

In the case of small nations this tendency is manifest. Belgium before
1914 was a neutralised state, a ward of Europe. It had surrendered its
right to declare war or form alliances. Switzerland, Denmark, Norway
and Sweden, while preserving their technical liberty, were by their
weakness precluded from entering upon policies disapproved by stronger
nations. Even the six Great Powers were forced to pool issues.
Austria dared not carry out a programme which Germany opposed, nor
could Russia or France act without the other's acquiescence. Group
policies were substituted for purely nationalistic aims.

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Economically a similar interdependence is being created. No nation is
wholly self-sufficing. Italy must import coal and iron, Germany
cotton, wool, leather and fodder. France requires Germany's coal and
Germany the iron of France. A safe access to these markets and sources
of raw material can only be assured by alliance with other powers.

The economic dependence of one nation, moreover, influences the
policies of its neighbours. The stress of a country suffering from
industrial disequilibrium is transmitted to other nations. If, when
Germany has exhausted her iron ore, she is prevented from obtaining a
supply, let us say from French Lorraine, she will be faced with the
alternative of dismantling her works in Westphalia and Silesia or of
forcing France to sell ore to her. Germany's stringency will thus
vitally affect France's international policy. Equally, if Russia or
Austria cannot obtain what it needs from abroad, the nations which
close the gates are endangered. Caution alone must prevent a nation
from allowing its neighbour to risk starvation. However ill-founded in
precedent, the right to secure what it imperatively needs is a right
that every people will fight for.

From this political and economic interdependence among nations
potentially hostile, there results a vague community of interest in
peace. This common interest is strongly reinforced by the staggering
costs of modern war. The present conflict is teaching us that Europe
cannot continue to live and fight, since more than what it fights for
is lost in the fighting. On the other