e days, when many articles of seaborne trade
have become, from mere luxuries, almost indispensable adjuncts of native
life in the remotest regions, a maritime blockade strictly enforced
should soon exact the necessary satisfaction.

Such rulers should bear in mind that if they accept an enterprise of
foreign capital they must protect its legitimate operations, just as a
school which has accepted a Government grant has to conform to
stipulated conditions.

Where no such penetration has occurred, all we should concern ourselves
with is that internal trouble in such regions shall not slop over into
territory protected or occupied by us, and this is where our most
serious difficulties will occur in erstwhile Turkish Arabia.

The Turk, with all his faults, could grapple with a difficult situation
in native affairs by drastic methods which might be indefensible in
themselves, but were calculated to obtain definite results. At any rate,
we had a responsible central Government to deal with and one that we
could get at. Now we shall have to handle such situations ourselves or
rely on the local authorities doing so. The former method is costly and
dangerous, yielding the minimum of result to the maximum of effort and
expense, while involving possibilities of trouble which might compromise
our democratic yearnings considerably: the latter alternative
presupposes that we have succeeded in evolving out of the present
imbroglio responsible rulers who are well-disposed to us and prepared to
take adequate action on our representations.

In Syria and Mesopotamia, where communications are good and European
penetration an established fact, there should not be much difficulty,
but in Arabia proper the problem is a very prickly one.

Beginning with Arabia Felix, which includes Yamen, the Aden
protectorate, and the vague, sprawling province of Hadhramaut, we may be
permitted to hope that nothing worse can happen in the Aden protectorate
than has happened already; the remoter Hadhramaut has always looked
after its own affairs and can continue to do so; but Yamen bristles with
political problems which will have to be solved, and solved correctly,
if she is going to be a safe neighbour or a reliable customer to have
business dealings with. Hitherto none of her local rulers have inspired
any confidence in their capacity for initiative or independent action.
During the War the Idrisi, who had long been in revolt against the Turks
in northern