Stranica 9 [9]
XsAol4 e. Augus + 52s
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French government of all pacts of political alliance or military
assistance that bind our country to one or the other of the two
"blocs" eee 35 Such active neutrality can only be carried out by
nations that have enough moral unity, economic soundness and military
strength to be able to live in independence of both Soviet Kussiay and
the United States. eee
One renders very poor service to a cause, by hiding ss. the true
difficulties that it implies. it is evident that the denumciation
of the Atlantic Pact sss would lead to the suspension, at least
partially, of the American assistance, that otherwise has been
heavily paid for sss A policy of austerity, restrictions and increased
production efforts would be the consequence eee Uther difficulty:
French neutrality could not be disarmed; one should therefore not
expect in the years to come, to obtain a considerable reduction in
military expenses or even in the length of military service cee
Neutralists have not to be dreamers nor demagogues: the “progressist"
idyll of a returning economic progperity, of a constantly rising
standard of living, of a reconstruction in prosperity and plenti¬
fulness and of the great reforms fulfilling some "Revolution in
sweetness and light", all this to the neutralist is the most
dangerous of illusions. Under present circumstances, neutralism
cannot afford the luxury of being "revdutionary" ese
One of the men who has strongly cooperated with Esprit, ever since its
revival after the war, Paul Ricoeur, expresses somewhat the same idea
in an article entitled "For the peaceful co-existence of Civilizations"
(#177, March 1951, pp.408-409). According to him, the important step for
saving peace, is to eliminate the causes of conflict between the two
existing great civilizations: the American "progressive" way of life
and the Russian communism. No war could wipe out the one or the other of
these established forces, because they are not a superficial phenomenon,
but a "global way of being", formed by a long evolution. The means for
creating an atmosphere in which these two civilizations could co-exist
without clashing are, according to Ricoeur:
le «++ A triangular Pact between communists, progressists and non¬
vidlents, having as main purpose the organization of a military and
diplomatic neutrality sss in the framework of which the other
oppositions might continue to develop, excluding however the major
absurdity of an armed conflict evo. along
2. The preparation of a new Peace Pact implies some practical moves ő
the lines of action on which political parties operate ss.: a) the
refusal of German re-armament ese b) the ending of the Viet-Nam ware.
this gonflict undermining not only the vital strength of France, but
also its moral resistance eses 6) the concentration of France's main
effort on its social equipment see the fight against poverty being the
true front and, if one wishes to defeat communism, it is on that line
alone that the battle might be won eee 4) a diplomatic and military
neutrality sss such policy, even if dangerous, would have at least the
merit of not decaying the national conscience, as docs’ the Atlantic
Alliance «se. e) an extremely reserved attitude towards the "uropean
Movements", in the sense in which they are oriented today ese sensed a