A RATIONAL REGIONAL ORGANIZATION OF THE WORLD
Barnes, Harry Elmer
Last Of A Series On The Next Stage In Political Revolution A Rational Regional Organization Of The World By HARRY ELMER BARNES WE may now outline what would be a rational regional organization of...
...They are likely to be doomed to disappointment...
...If these can be created within a century, we shall be very fortunate...
...And he envisaged it as something "right around the corner...
...Or, perhaps, each of these great countries might form a region by itself...
...Holland, Central Europe and the Balkans would make a logical regional organization under German leadership...
...ENGLAND and her self-governing dominions would form another rational region...
...I do not insist upon this particular list of world regions...
...The United States is already the most extensive and coherent of all great regional federations, save only for the Soviet Union...
...Japan, dominating Malaysia, Polynesia and Melanesia, would make another logical region, which would pull Japan off the continent of Asia and still give her adequate supplies of natural resources and outlets for her surplus population...
...All of this is no reason for pessimism, but it does provide ground for perspective and patience, and it warns against over-ambitious plans at the start...
...Though far flung geographically, they would have an unusual degree of cohesion, growing out of a common racial and cultural heritage and a long background of political unity...
...It may not take that long to establish regional organizations, but it may require a century or more, and certainly complete success cannot be reasonably hoped for within less than several generations...
...Last Of A Series On The Next Stage In Political Revolution A Rational Regional Organization Of The World By HARRY ELMER BARNES WE may now outline what would be a rational regional organization of the world, leaving out of consideration for the time being the second World War, the emotions which it has provoked, and the settlements which may eventuate from it...
...But since we cannot know the character or extent of such possible imbecilities, we cannot deal specifically with them at present...
...The main danger lies in expecting this great achievement to be accomplished over-rapidly...
...Mexico and Central America might well organize regionally, and the same goes for the South American countries...
...Many partisans of regionalism apparently expect such a system to be set up in more or less complete form fairly soon after the end of the second World War...
...Almost inevitably doomed to disappointment are those who envisage the immediate creation of great continental or hemispheric regional federations...
...It took 4 or 5 centuries to put down feudalism and create a strong system of national states...
...The Scandinavian and Baltic states and Finland would form another sensible region...
...Any sane system of regionalism would, of course, make ample provision for the establishment of liberal regimes in Germany and Japan which would be likely to cooperate in a system of rational regionalism and world peace...
...Almost a century later, Europe has been locked in the bloodiest conflict of all time, and it may be another century before Hugo's vision is realized in practice...
...A START may be made right after the war is ended, but it can hardly be more than a beginning...
...A successful regional organization of the world would constitute an immense step ahead in political progress...
...Certainly any regional organization of Europe which is based upon the initial dismemberment and subordination of Germany will wreck European regionalism...
...Turkey might legitimately head up a Near Eastern regional organization...
...There is grave danger that a hangover of antique nationalism and imperialism, in the settlement which will follow the second World War, may either impede regionalism or lead to the creation of regions so illogical in an economic sense as to prove unworkable...
...To be sure, the postwar readjustments will have an enormous influence upon the extent and character of regional organization, perhaps frustrating it altogether for the time being...
...Nobody ever argued more eloquently for a United States of Europe than did Victor Hugo at the Paris Peace Congress of 1849...
...Federation with Canada would be a natural step...
...There might be a regional organization of Latin Europe, namely, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, under French leadership...
...If anyone can suggest a better arrangement, it will prove welcome...
...The creation of successful regions is an even greater task than the suppression of feudalism and the establishment of a national state system...
...Likewise, permanent humiliation and subordination of Japan will place Asiatic regionalism in jeopardy...
...Continental Asia would logically fall under a regional unification of China and India...
...Soviet Russia already constitutes a vast and highly successful regional organization...
Vol. 9 • July 1945 • No. 28
