A French Dominion ?
A few months ago, it would have been unthinkable for the Government of France to have offered " the completion of the independence and sovereignty of the Associated States." But, in the first place, the Associated States have, each in their own way, left Paris no alternative. Viet Nam and Laos do not want the French to go, but they have felt increasingly that they can only afford to let them stay if they alter the basis on which they do so. In a conflict which is nominally domestic, the advantage is bound to lie with the Viet Minh so long as they have a monopoly of the nationalist movement. The Cambodians are comparatively indifferent to French military support; and it is they, or rather their erratic King, who have probably set the pace for the other Associated States. In the second place, Paris itself has despaired of the conflict in its traditional form, which amounted, in effect, to a war of attrition between the French and the Viet Minh. The cost was prohibitive, in men, money and morale; the reward was nil. What are the alternatives ? And are there any which do not involve leaving the peninsula to the Com- munists ? There are several people in M. Laniel's cabinet who are coming to believe that there may be an international alternative. The Indo-Chinese war is, in fact, being fought by the proteges of Russia and China on the one hand, and of America and the West on the other. If this could be brought into the open, there might be scope, as there may still be scope in Korea, for a settlement by international negotiation at one level, and an accommodation between the local leaders at another. This is speculation. But one thing is hard fact. A pre-requisite of such an approach would be for France and the legitimate rulers of the Associated States to put their relationship on a footing more satisfactory to each other, to the Americans and to the world at large.
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