Burning Questions

Asia last week was burning at both ends and in the middle--in China, India and the Middle East (see below). These fires had been smoldering for generations, but in the case of the Middle East and India, Allied military successes that reawakened hopes of peace in Europe, aroused Arabs and Indians to press their nationalist aims while their maneuvers in the politics of the war and of the peace gave them a bargaining point with Britain.

Their strategic position at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, flanking Suez, the Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb gave the Arab possessors of Asia's oil lands an importance beyond their numerical or political strength. India's position in Asia and in the British Empire made the Indian question not only Britain's but the world's problem.

But the problem of China overshadowed all others. For China occupies in Asia a strategic position somewhat like that of Germany in Europe. If it was true that whoever dominated Germany dominated Europe, it was also true that whoever dominated China dominated Asia. The problem was even vaster. For if the Chinese Communist state-within-a-state should ever dominate China, the combination of a Communist China's 450,000,000 people and Communist Russia's 190,000,000 people might by sheer numbers and economic resources dominate the world.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.