144 



The Review of Reviews. 



greater and more complete mutual know- 

 ledge will result. Naturally an agreement 

 with Austria to limit construction, followed 

 inevitably by one with Italy of friendly 

 co-operation, would completely change the 

 tace of the Mediterranean situation. 



The German attempt to 

 International exploit the inevitable tend- 

 Affairs. ency of autocracies to sup- 



port each other in these 

 days of increasing democracy, which at- 

 tracted public attention only at the moment 

 of the Baltic interview between the German 

 and Russian Emperors, has failed to achieve 

 the desired results. Coming as it did at a 

 moment when the Franco-Russian relations 

 were less cordial, it has awakened the autho- 

 rities both at Paris and at St. Petersburg to 

 tile dangers of separation. It is another 

 instance of the efforts of the governing 

 minorities to dictate to the majorities, who 

 have not yet achieved their full political 

 power. The people of Germany and of 

 Russia have no common tie and no 

 desire for friendship. They and the 

 Eur<)])ean balance of power, therefore, 

 run the risk of being seriously disturbed in 

 order to bolster up the idea of governing by 

 " divine right," but not by right. Japan, 

 following upon her constructive policv of 

 eliminating all possible points of friction, 

 has made the necessary arrangements with 

 Russia with regard to the Far Eastern 

 points of contact. Those who say that 

 Japan has any idea of making an Alliance 

 with Russia show how little they understand 

 the straightforward policy of Japan, who 

 cannot but know that j)ermancnt friendship 

 with the existing rdgimr in Russia is im- 

 |K)ssible. Japanese statesmen do not make 

 alliances for a few days, and whilst they are 

 anxious to live in friendly relations with 

 their neighbours, they do not believe in 



deceiving themselves as to facts. It is a 



great pity that the death of the Emperor 



of Japan forced Prince Katsura to return to 



Japan instead of coming to this countrv, as 



had been his former intention. 



. . The inevitable result of 



Again , . - 1 



a New Regime the lack of political ex- 



'" perience which marked so 



^^' many of the actions of the 



Young Turk Committee of Union and 

 Progress has arrived, and it would appear 

 that the reien of those who made the 

 revolution against Abdul Hamid has come' 

 to an end. It is of excellent significance 

 that this should have come about without 

 causing bloodshed and civil war, and affords 

 the world a very decided proof of the deter- 

 mination of the majority of the Turks to 

 sacrifice individual interests in favour of 

 national welfare. It is indisputable that the 

 present Government contains many more 

 experienced men than did the last, and in 

 this there is hope both for internal improve- 

 ment and for cessation of external conflict. 

 As ever, tlie final say remains in the hands 

 of the army, and it is likely to remain so 

 for a considerable number of years. The 

 real strength of the new Ministry lies wi'-h 

 Ferid Pasha, the Minister of the Interior. 

 He was formerly Grand Vizier under Abdul 

 Hamid, and was probably the only Grand 

 Vizier of whom Abdul Hamid was sin- 

 cerely afraid. An Albanian, with distinctly 

 patriotic ideas, he is one of the few Turkish 

 officials who do not think that to hold 

 office is the supreme ideal. The new 

 Minister of the Interior has courage, he has 

 exjierience, he has patriotic pride in his 

 country, and he will do far more to bring 

 about a real state of affairs upon which 

 Turkish progress can be based than all 

 the fine words and unworkable theories 

 of some of his immediate predecessors. 



