Foundations of a Durable Peace
| Author | Luigi Villari |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271624021000116 |
| Published date | 01 July 1940 |
| Date | 01 July 1940 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
89
Foundations
of
a
Durable
Peace
By
LUIGI
VILLARI
I F
WE
wish
to
secure
a
durable
peace
in
Europe,
the
first
essential
is
that
every
people
should
be
able
to
live.
This
may
seem
a
truism,
but
unless
we
establish
conditions
enabling
each
peo-
ple
to
secure
the
means
for
reasonable
livelihood,
we
shall
never
secure
a
last-
ing
peace.
What
are
these
conditions?
They
are
both
political
and
economic,
and
the
two
aspects
of
the
question
are
closely
connected.
However
prosperous
eco-
nomic
conditions
may
be,
if
the
politi-
cal
situation
of
a
people
is
unsatisfac-
tory,
that
people
will
not
remain
quiet.
On
the other
hand,
however
contented
people
may
be
politically,
if
their
eco-
nomic
situation
is
disastrous
they
will
strive
to
alter
it
by
force
if
they
cannot
secure
improvement
by
peaceful
means.
So
the
question
is
bound
to
assume
po-
litical
as
well
as
economic
aspects;
but
the
two
aspects
can
be
examined
sepa-
rately.
A
POLICY
OF
NONINTERFERENCE
Let
us
begin
with
the
political
aspect.
In
the
first
place,
it
is
absolutely
neces-
sary
that
no
country
should
interfere
in
the
domestic
affairs
of
other
countries.
Each
people
must
be
free
to
choose
the
political
system
which
it
deems
best
suited
to
its
own
tradition,
conditions,
and
mentality.
I
do
not
refer
only
to
direct
interference
by
one
government
in
the
internal
policies
of
another,
such
as
would
occur
if
one
country
were
to
try
to
dictate
what
form
of constitution
another
should
adopt,
or
if
it
were
to
refuse
to
negotiate
with
a
people
of
whose
constitutional
theories
or
meth-
ods
it
disapproved.
I
wish
also
to
in-
sist
that
press
campaigns
against
a
country
on
account
of
its
internal
poli-
cies
should
not
be
countenanced.
It
may
be
objected
that
where
a
free
press
exists
it
is
not
possible
to
prevent
such
outbursts
of
public
feeling.
But
in
the
first
place,
in
no
country
is
the
press
completely
free.
Government
control
is
not
the
only
form
of
restric-
tion ;
the
press
is
often
controlled
by
financial,
industrial,
racial,
religious,
and
political
groups.
The
necessity
to
abstain
from
encouraging
such
press
campaigns
applies
not
to
governments
alone,
but
to
all
organizations
and
groups
which
directly
or
indirectly
exer-
cise
influence
over
public
opinion,
be-
cause
they
too
can
help
to
make
or
mar
a
durable
peace.
In
the
second
place,
all
governments
can
and
do
exercise
some
form
of
authority
over
the
press
,and
the
radio,
at
least
of
a
negative
character,
and
they
can
and
should
ab-
stain
from
giving
encouragement
to
campaigns
of
the
kind
alluded
to.
In
addition
to
these
press
and
radio
campaigns
of
a
general
nature,
there
are
those
of
a
commercial
character,
such
as
trade
boycotts.
If
there
is
a
feeling
of
bitterness
in
one
country
against
an-
other
on
account
of
some
international
dispute,
it
is
of
course
difficult
to
pre-
vent
a
trade
boycott
against
it;
but
one
should
bear
in
mind
that
such
action
may
easily
lead
to
war.
That
is
what
makes
a
policy
of
sanctions,
as
provided
for
in
Article
16
of
the
League
of
Na-
tions
Covenant,
so
dangerous,
because
it
cannot
be
effective
unless
it
is
ac-
companied
by
force,
and
it
will
thus
become
tantamount
to
and
degenerate
into
real
war.
Private
citizens
cannot
be
forced
to
buy
the
goods
of
a
country
which
they
dislike,
any
more
than
an
individual
can
be
forced
to
sell
to
customers
whose
faces
he
dislikes.
But
it is
always
pos-
sible
to
prevent
the
organization
and
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