The Carolinian [November 25, 1952]

              THE Forum Considers Tensions in Middle Bast
Opening Session Stresses
Middle Eastern Conflicts
by Scott Strickland [but peace under this arrangement
"It Is our hope that we shall would be Impossible In view of the
share here an experience to help j Individual group demands for po-us
carry out our American citizen-ship."
With these words Chan-cellor
E. K. Graham opened the
Sixth Annual Harriet Elliott For-um
In Aycock Auditorium Friday
morning.
Dr. Cornelius de Klewlet. as
moderator, summarized problems
to be delt with In the forum, such
as: "What Is the appropriate atti-tude
for the U. S. to take in the
world of turmoil? Can we solve
the major problems which are
lltical, cultural and religious au-tonomy
The forces toward unity
were mostly negative. There are,
however, certain conditions that
know no boundaries, i. e, disease,
against which the World Health
Organization has been able to In-stigate
a concerted effort.
Israel was conceived as the Jews,
persecuted In other lands, and
searching for security, saw their
only hope In the formation of their
own state. They naturally looked
pressing upon us by war. or must t0 Palestine, the place of their
we solve them by peace?" "Should lorl*ln There was ""thing to In-the
U. S. put IU faith In military! dlcate that the Jews planned to
developments or In diplomatic ne- displace the Arabs in Palestine;
gotiatlons?" The United States,!but when they were concentrated
like Great Britain, cannot resolve;,n tnat ™g<on. nationalism was
problems of the modern world by' «"»">' accelerated aa a natural
force, answered the speakers; com-:re»ult <"' this drawing-together,
promise Is necessary. The Middle' SUEZ PROBLEM ACUTE
East must modernize itself, they j The eMence of the problem re-declared
- - It must equip itself gardinf, Br|tish control of the Suez
with the technical as well as the
spiritual things of modern life;
there Is no turning backward into
time for this area. The U. S. Is
far from being well equipped to
undertake this project. There must
be within the U. S. a far greater
source of competent understand-ing.
HUREWITZ DESCRIBES AREA
With this introduction. Dr. Hure- °' communications
Canal is whether or not the new
Egyptian government will tole-rate,
even for the next four years,
the presence of a foreign power
on her soil. The Suez Is an Irre-placeable
base of operations for
the West as it Is the junction be-;
tween two seas and between two
continents. Located as It Is, the
Suez Is the natural nerve center
wltz explained something of the
nature of the area Itself.
The bases of conflict In the Mid-dle
East, according to Dr. Hure
wltz, are many and varied:
1) The predominant religious
group is the Moslem, Itself split
by conflicting languages and In-numerable
sects. The area is also
interspersed with Christians, Jews,
and pagans.
2) The form of colonialism ap-plied
to the Middle East was dif-ferent
from that in other parts of
the world because It was subject
to Moslem Imperialism. Until
World War I the Middle East was
controlled to a great extent, by the
Ottoman Empire and to some ex-tent
by Iran. The British occupied
Egypt and took over other sec-tions
as protectorates, dependent
upon mandates and alliances. The
French control, in contrast was
entirely dependent on mandates.
There followed in the Middle East
(Continued on Page Two)
Closing Forum Session Declares
Need for East-West Cooperation
-«
by Pat Thomas
"The Western Powers cannot buy
good will and cooperation in the
Middle East with the Almighty
Dollar. That area is not for sale
on these terms." warned Dr. T.
Cuyler Young Friday in a talk
preliminary to the closing session
of the Social Science Forum.
In a special forum discussion
of the tope. The Middle East and
the West." Dr. Young. Dr Jacob
C. Hurewltz. and Dr. Cornelius
de Kelwiet. moderator of this year's
Forum, summarized and elaborated
deKIEWIET YOUNG
Dr. Cuyler A. Young Emphasizes That
Nationalistic Feeling Runs High in Iran
by Violet Puckett I with the land In the hands of the
A continuation of the morning''™ "^"".f* '•«"»"«•■ he «"•"■
., .v. . . . , , Traditionally, according to Dr.
discussion which had dealt partly Young ,„,„ ,„ flve differen( e,e_
with the Iranian problem was dl- ments In the agricultural produc-rected
by Dr. T. Cuyler Young, ] tion—the land, water, seed, tools,
who Is an expert on the Middle' ,nd labor. The system of payment
East and especially Iran, where he '" divlded lnt0 flfths: that Is, If the
has spent some time on a leave
break their dependency. Dr. Young
concluded.
The termination, the single aim
of Mossadegh's life is to make
his country independent of the two
ancient foes, Russia and the U.S.
Mossadegh, although, realizes that
his country can't stand against two
peasant furnishes only the labor j big forces, he feels that she can
or one-fifth of the elements, he re- stand on her rights to be neutral j those of Europe Itself?" Only by
of absence from Princeton. Deceives only one-fifth of the pro-' between them. I true and constructive interest In
Young, after having been intro-lduce. The country is also divided '
upon the International problems
presented earlier In the day.
Introduced by Dr. deKiewiet,
Dr. Young stated briefly the eco-nomic
ties which link the Eastern
and Western civilizations and the
tensions which tern from these
ties. These points and the various
solutions now being attempted
served as topics for the open forum
which followed.
In his opening address. Dr.
Young stressed the Interdepend-ence
of the two hemispheres, nam-ing
the greater degree of depend-ence
that o fthe East on the West.
Although the exchange students'
policy and the Point Four Program
are large steps in helping the Mid
die Eastern countries see their
basic problems, he stated, the
West's greatest boon to belter re-lations
lies, and will continue to
lie, with its political and psycho-logical
Impact. "Not only does the
Middle East need us as a market,
and as a guide to help it exploit
and develop to the fullest Its own
resources." Dr. Young added, "but
also it needs a bond of security
and friendly trust with us, upon
which It can rely."
In discussing the points of ten-sion
which do exist between the
East and West, Dr. Young empha-sized
the Eastern desire for com-plete
Independence, the inroduc-tlon
of secularism which has cre-ated
an Inner spiritual frustration
in the East, and the resentment
which has arisen In the East from
he colonial type government now
controlling large parts of It. He
suggested that the sole cry of the
Easterners' today is, "If we could
only be ourselves!"
Dr. Young could not emphasize
strongly enough the importance
of an active interest within the
Middle East. A question well
United States In the problems of
worth contemplating, he submitted,
is: "Are not interests In the Asi-atic
world going to be of more im-portance
in the future world than
the peoples themselves, he added,
will the Western powers be able
to counteract the evils already Im-posed
by Western exploitation of
the Middle East. The one basic
problem confronting modern civi-lization.
Dr. Young concluded, is
that of making the Eastern and
Western societies self-respecting,
and respectful of each other.
The open forum discussion which
followed Dr. Young's Introductory
talk considered such questions from
the audience as the worth of pres-ent-
day Islamic culture, the attitude
of the United SUtes toward the
Middle East, the lack of Islamic
reform, the use of the Point Four
Program, an dthe Palestine ques-tion.
Highlighting the disucsslon of
the Middle East as a tool In the
hands of the Western powers, the
speakers attempted to reconcile
economic interest with moral in-tegrity
in their treatment. "The
price of world leadership." said
Dr. Hurevitz, "Is the responsibility
of correlating political and eco-nomic
advantage and moral prin-ciples.
If we are world leaders,
we mill make this correlation. A
long-range view is necessary." On
the same topic. Dr. Young offered.
"To think that the people don't
know that they've pawns, that they
have the center of the stage. Is to
be unrealistic." The obligation of
the Western world, he added, ia
to convince these people that mu-tual
cooperation will be mutually
beneficial, and mutually satisfac-tory.
Concluding with a discussion of
Communistic trends in the Middle
Eastern nations, the forum speakers
described most states in the area
as being relatively free from strong
Communist sympathies. In some
states, the party seems to 6e draw-ing
increasing strength In spite of
its being outlawed. Even In the
areas where the movement Is not
outlawed, however, they concluded,
Communism has not yet become
a serious threat to the controlling
governments.
duced by Marilyn Roblnctte, ex- by a large number of nomadic
tribes who migrate from one graz-ing
area to the other with the
change of the seasons. Dr. Young
continued. There is also an urban
group which comprises about 20
tended an Invitation for discussion
to his audience in the Library Lec-ture
Hall.
The forum progressed from a
detailed discussion of the economic , .
a conflict of adjustments between' . „., . . ... 'per cent of the population. It Is
. and political temperatures of thei. .... . . ., „ .
thes.e..s.tates after a strugglIera.n.*ia'ns t.o..the ,tensi.ons Ttha.t .have ii.n...th..ese .urb, a_n areas.t.ha.t the first
against the controls of the West- . „ . „„. . . „ .... _ „ buddings of nationalism began to
developed in Iran, with an em- « . . _.
«■ poWe™ Phasis on the Nationalist feeling ZZ'l, .V '? TT
3) Another source for conflict and its development. if,'"" '°r ,,hf """'^ "nd *""
was the artificial cutting up of an „„„ " " „„ " was ,hal ,he pe<"j|e saw their
EXPLAINS ECONOMY raw products taken away by a
Iranian economy Is based on a foreign element, processed and then
system that is not unlike that of brought back for re-selling. This is
area, which formerly was only
one empire with mere provincial
boundaries, into states such
Syria. Lebanon, and Jordan. These iany Near Easlern coun,ry' sald Dr ,nc basls of ,he ««estion. and It
new countries have set up econom- Young The peasants live on the was the hatred for this system that
ic barriers In currency and cus-toms.
4i The Middle East has primarily
an agricultural economy, and with-in
countries there is an unequal
distribution of wealth resulting In
a landholder, tenant, peasant re-lationship.
5i The vast majority of the pop-ulation
are illiterate; only two out
of ten are able to read and write
land as tenants or sharecroppers caused the people to determine to
Dr. deKiewiet States Health Conditions
Poor and Hindrance to Advancement
by Mary Ann Baum | American Revolution in 1778. In
Dr. C W. deKiewiet opened his order for the Middle East to be-round
table discussion on prob-jcome an autonomy, he explained,
lems in the Middle East in the Vir- **■ People must develop principles
ginla Dare Room of the dlumnaeland skills that would make an
House Friday, by stating the im- autonomous existence possible.
portance of the Western World's
knowing a great deal in the field.
Dr. deKiewiet illustrated the
idea of probable revolution in the
Middle East by comparing it to the
The discussion was then thrown
open to the audience for comment
and questions. In answer to an in-quiry
about Mossadegh's stand, he
said that not many people do know
United States Responsibilities In East Provide
Topic for Dr. Hurewitz' Round Table Discussion
by Ebba Freund ority in Israel, the majority of the I tine, Dr Hurewltz said. "It Is un-ithc question of the partitioning
A discussion of the responsibll- people are very anxious to estab-1 fortunate that such a competition of Palestine stemmed from the
ities of the United States In the
llsh a democracy, he affirmed. between two such irreconcilable fact that the State Department dls-nationalisms
should have develop- agreed among themselves. This
ed. Each side has so much to gain disagreement as based on the
by 'letting peace break out." One'1 American policy. "Let's be friends
Even in the best of circumstances '"" "' "*" ""•"" "•"" '" "re.and they are therefore turning to
that the Middle East can provide, INear East opened the Round the West rather than to Soviet
there are no 100 percent facilities Table discussion conducted by Dr. Russia, for guidance. When the
for primary education. Radical re-1 Jacob C. Hurewltz in the Home pro-Soviet minority raised the I cannot say that the Arabs were with everybody." In the end, the
forms to this condition are being Econom|cs Auditorium Friday lotion as to whether Israel was [all wrong and the Jews all right, I White House stand In favor of par-
Inlroduced by degrees; the success ,. becoming too subservient to the nor vice versa. Each must share tltioning prevailed.
j United States. Israel's foreign mln-1 the blame." According to Dr. Hurewltz. the
In answer to the question. "What j United Stales can lay the blame
afternoon.
Prior to 1948, when the famous ister replied. "We are anxious to
Truman doctrine was issued, Dr.. remain on friendly terms with
In his opening 'hose countries in which the Jews
of these measures may be seen only
in the future.
6) A fairly sizeable nomadic
population in this area defies ■<!-! Hurewltz stated
ministration and fears and suspects; „ .,,. ", "iare free to take an interest in our
al.l. g_overnment; even ,t.hese groups message, the respronsibility of the ; activi.t..ies.
are subject to inter-tribal disputes jNear East lay in British hands. I
In the words of Dr. Hurewitz. "It Although the United States had The splitting of Palestine Into
Is not an easy region to describe. extensive oll lniere8ts ,n lhe Near l™ s,a'es "•* ,morc °r le„ss ""*
The bases of conflict are deeply P„. ,, ,„,, ,h„ inh „, nr„,„rlino ifactory to ,ne Jews' Dr H"rew't*
r00ted.. '"'| East, it left the job of protecting continued but „ enraged tne
Among the major questions ,hem to ,he Br,llsh' he ,dded jArabs' wt,o feel that their 1700
raised by the audience were these: Thus, when the United States en- year claim entitles them to Pales-
Was It a mistake to break up theltcred Near Eastern affairs, the ,lne In 1939 when the British is-j
»if(«4 ikftlw tl'kU- I» 11 Ul — —
Ottoman Empire? What was the government was relatively Inex-is
being done to aid Arab refu- for i,s unpopularity in the Middle
gees?" Dr. Hurewitz said that the
United Nations Relief Agency has
done a tremendous job in seeing
East at the doorstep of Congress
Congress, always ready to appro-priate
money to aid crisis-ridden
that the Arab refugees are fed., countries, consistently refuses to
clothed and housed. But the qucs-! appropriate money to avert a crisis,
tion of where to put these home-|he stated. For example, In 1947
less Arabs has not yet been solved. I "hen Iran was considered to be
he warned, Egypt is unable to safely In the Western column,
crowd any more people Into the the United States shipped tons of
Gaza strip of the Nile Valley, the I arms and other aid to Turkey,
where he stands and that he has
left us exposed to a conflict be-tweent
the United States and Rus-sia.
STRESSES NUTRITION
Dr. deKiewiet laid stress on the
importance of nutrition in the Mid-dle
East. The general health con-dition
of the area is very discourag-ing,
he said, pointing out that lack
uf proper nutrition may have a de-cided
effect on not only the health,
but the backwardness of a country.
After discussing the question,
"Are the disturbances in Iran
Communist - inspired?", he said
that, while it is true that "Com-munism
feeds best in environments
where people are backward and
underfed," it is often true that the
first ones to go under Communist
Influence are the well-fed, edu-cated
men who are frustrated and
see opportunities through Com-munism.
In discussing American strategy,
he posed the question as to whether
or not the U.S. should side with
the British concerning the critical
position of the Suez Canal or should
stand on a neutral polcy.
He then asked. "Can we deter-mine
that there will be no wars?"
Not unless, he said In reply to his
own question, we are In good stand-ing
in the eyes of Europe and the
Middle East.
On the Importance of educating
people about affairs in the Middle
East, Dr. de Kiewiet's views were
ethical basis for establishing Is-, perienced wltn tMs ,„„ nt ,„—
rael? What is the position of the! • .. !years- ,he British had no Idea
Egyptians regarding British con. mind' Dr Hurewltx called for what a hornet's nest they were
sued their White Paper, limiting only inhabitable area of Egypt whose future was doubtful. These |,nl, ,nstead of teaching worId
Immigration. Into Israel for five open to settlement. Lebanon, the,Turkish shipments arrived Imme-1h|story ,n universlties courses in
trol of the Suez Canal? What tac-tics
are the Russians using in re-gard
to the Iranian dispute?
OTTOMAN EMPIRE FALL
only country In the Middle Eastjdiately. whereas aid to Iran took probIems of today and the 5tudy
with a Christian majority, is afraid]three years to come. It Is because of Afr,c|| the M,dd[e Eas, an(,
of losing this majority by admit-1 of Instances like these, he repeat-ting
Arab refugees In Syria, where, ed, that the United States is ex-
. i . .«. m.iiii. \_/u*- ui tut' i *-a>ui^ dial nit oiaitr
the military dlstatorshlp is not se- tremely unpopular In the Middle rf ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^
curely established, the Syrians are East.
afraid the entry of Arab refugees [ The last question directed at
would produce riots and uprisings, Dr. Hurewltz was, "Have the Brit-
Volume XXXIV Z531
Woman's College of the
University of North Carolina
Greensboro, N. C.
November 25. 1952
Number 10
questions. I creating. In 1944 after the horrors
The first question concerned of lhe Nazi concentration were dls-
.Isra„el's attit.ud.e toward■ A■ m e r.ica.Ic.lose,d., wo, rld symjpat.hJy, ran h, igh.
jfor the Jews and their ancient
Since the United States has con- homeland. The pressure of world
Tha Ottoman Empire could not tributcd heavily to the Israeli gov-1 opinion prevented the British from
have held together after World'ernment. he said, both in the form keeping their agreement with the l)r Hurewitz continued. ish the right to remain In Egypt?"
War I. agreed Young and Hure- „f private funds collected by the j Arabs, he felt. The Arab League.! The next question related to the His answer: "I think It is possible
witz. it was previously held to- Jewish Agency and In the form! using this and other failures to attitudes of the State Department, j to sense a change of attitude on
gether by the inability of Europe of governmental loans, the Jews | keep agreements as a bellows, fan- the White House, and Congress! the part of the British government,
to agree on a division of the spoils of Israel are extremely grateful ned the fire of anti-British feel- toward Near Eastern policy. The They are anxious to recast their
There is an argument that it should to the United States. Although | Ing to a white hot flame. In con- rumor that the State Department relations to Egypt, but this desire
be a unified multinational society, there is a small pro-Soviet mln-[eluding his remarks about Pales-'and President Truman differed on (Continued on Page Two)
China, would be more profitable.
One of the reasons that the State
against Arab pressure, he said, was
the tremendous support given the
people of Israel by the people of
the United States.
In closing. Dr. deKiewiet asked
his listeners, "To what extent are
we prepared to take on the respon-sibilities
of the Middle East?"
"Peace," he said, "is a world prob-lem."