Economics and Peace M. van Zeeland, the former Prime Minister
of Belgium, made a welcome reappearance on the public scene when he delivered the Marshall Lecture on " Economics or Politics " at Cambridge on Tuesday. International ambitions must at the moment, he thought, be limited to international trade, and even in that limited field we must be satisfied with moderate solutions for a start. M. van Zeeland insisted nevertheless that the immediate task was urgent, and for understanding to be reached there must exist at least the intention to try. He felt able to say that he did not doubt the existence of such an intention in the great democracies of England, France and the United States, and that the totali- tarian ideology of Germany, Italy and Russia was not an insurmountable obstacle. Coming from such a source these comments carry undeniable authority. Whether " the intention to try " exists or not it is a fact that our own economic policy, while increasing intra-Imperial trade, has materially diminished international trade. It is encouraging too to be assured that the totalitarian ideology is not an insurmountable barrier. Germany's present trade drive through the Balkan countries would be far less disquieting if, instead of being limited to bilateral agreements, there was a prospect that it would result in the whole volume of world trade being increased.
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