146 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



ETHNIC FACTORS IN" INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 



By Professor MAURICE PARMELEE 



COLLEGE OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK 



THERE are many factors which influence international relations. 

 Among the most important are language, culture, religion and 

 commerce. If the peoples of two countries speak the same language 

 intercourse between them is much easier and sympathetic relations are 

 likely to exist between them. If two nations are of about the same cul- 

 ture with respect to the development of science and art, the diffusion of 

 knowledge, moral standards, etc., this culture is likely to serve as a bond 

 of union. But if the cultural differences are great they may give rise to a 

 feeling of antipathy, or, to say the least, the one nation is almost certain 

 to look down upon the other nation as being of a lower grade of culture. 

 If two nations are of the same religion this may serve as a bond of union. 

 But if they are of different religions this difference may give rise to hos- 

 tility, especially if one or both of these religions are of a militant sort. 

 If two nations have commercial relations which are to the mutual bene- 

 fit of both they are almost certain to remain on friendly terms with each 

 other. But if they are rivals in commerce such rivalry is very likely to 

 lead to hostility and sometimes to war. 



In this article we are to discuss the part played by ethnic factors in 

 international relations. That is to say, we shall try to ascertain to what 

 extent and how ethnic differences between the peoples of nations affect 

 the relations of those nations towards each other. These differences are 

 with respect to external anatomical characteristics such as stature, facial 

 features, the color of the skin, the character of the hair, etc., and with 

 respect to the internal organs, such as the brain, and the nervous system 

 in general, the heart, lungs, etc., all of which play a part in determining 

 the psychic characteristics of a people. It is, however, very difficult to 

 segregate these factors and to study their effects because they are inex- 

 tricably mingled with the other factors which have been mentioned. 

 This is true, in the first place, because these ethnic characteristics have 

 their influence in part indirectly through the other factors. That is to 

 say, the language, culture, religion, etc., of a people are determined in 

 varying degrees by these ethnic characteristics. But it is very difficult 

 to determine in any specific case to what extent this is true as compared 

 to the influence of physical environment and such chance circumstances 

 as relations to other peoples. 



It is also difficult to determine how ethnic differences influence 

 international relations directly. These differences frequently give rise 



