A Plea for Foreign Policy to be Taken out of the Area of Party Politics: @lrinese to get Away from Paper Treaties The following article written by Mr. C. Blix was last wede despatched to the principal newspapers in wrote, Mr, Bliz: has kindly supplied us with a copy.
It gives muck food for thought, and is certain to be read with utmost interest, The deeper one goes down to the root of the great, burning question of world peace and the more one analyses the reasons for the failure to solve this problem, the greater becomes the conviction that out of the present political system no satisfactory result can be educed. The: political creeds of the nations must first be built up on sympathetic understanding based upon know. ledge. Knowledge, primarily, of their own countries and people, and next, of the world and the peoples in general. This knowledge does not obtain among the politicians in a sufficient degree. Therefore, the most essential qualification is wanting—that of sympathetic understanding.
A Politician's Lack of Training as a consequence, feel more ins dependent, and more inclined to treat the task before them with an open mind. "Furthermore, the _psychological factor underlying the knowledge of dealing with other governments of the same, known con-Sisteney, would act as a. powerful, ive' instrument in all. political negotiations. Tt may be tempting t" argue that the foreign government, spite of its composition would, through the fact of being responsible to the national assembly, still be subject to party polities. "But, it ea with certainty be predicted that the nations themselves, having once Secured freedom for their foreign affairs from party thraldom, would not tolerate any further" party machinations in respect to these, In nearly every profession and walk of life a technical training and a special knowledge is demanded and is considered necessary. The task of the politician is, in a greater or lesser degree, to handle the affairs of his country. In either case, is fundamentally wrong that ' no other special knowledge than that of party politics is required of him. That in regard to foreign affairs most countries have established ad-committees or special offices to deal largely with this branch of the nations business, docs not mitigate the question. On the contrary, while serviceable as an expedient, it is not one that should be Permitted to take the upper hand. Yet, this has already, in many instances, taken place ' and it must, sooner or later, develop into a wholly bureaucratic control of foreign affairs. Whether this tendency is due to pressure of party interests, or to lack of knowledge on the part of the responsible ministers, it is equally insidious and condemnable, The contention that the system has served up to the present is neither a good excuse, nor a proof that it has accomplished anything tending to secure a lasting world peace. There is, on the other hand, every reason to reconstruct the whole fabric upon which the political intercourse between the nations is depending.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.