W. van Ravesteijn, “The Balkan Problem”, Die Neue Zeit, 1913 (31st year, Volume I). November 15, 1912.
a federation” (of Balkan countries, including Turkey) “would be able to satisfy the cultural needs of this geographically integral area and to erect an insurmountable barrier to the advance of European | N.B. imperialism, and also of Russian world power. All other solutions of the Balkan problem can be only of a temporary nature and cannot for long satisfy the interests of all the races and nations that live there” (p. 228).
federation of all the Balkan countries will naturally be resisted by European imperialism and tsarism with all their strength. Their common interest, now as in the past, is aggravation of mutual enmity and rivalry between these nations and Turkey | N.B. so as the more easily to exploit their territories as colonial spheres. Will the statesmen of Turkey and the Balkan countries come to realise their common interests and put an end to this murderous war by entering into close relations with one another? | N.B. If they fail to do this, they will sacrifice the interests of their peoples to European capitalism and the interests of the Balkan dynasties” (p. 229).
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