FUTURE OF THE EMPIRE
Socialist regime in Britain. In Japan the economic
strain of her theocratic militarism might become
unbearable, and she might lapse into chaos over-
night. Conversely, Japanese bullying might finally
hammer a real national unity into the discordant
provinces of China. Asia, which has always had
a curious knack of producing great personages
at intervals, might at any time upset all reason-
able expectations by another Jengis, or Timur,
or Akbar.
By reason moreover of the reaction of internal
affairs on external relations it would be a mistake
to assume that nationalism must form the spiritual
background of all future wars as it has done of
the last. Armageddon I may indeed prove to have
been the last of the series of national wars, and
the dominant issues of the next war may be social
and economic rather than national.
Certainly this would be quite in accordance
with historical precedent. For though the human
race has always fought wars, to gratify, and to
abate, its innate pugnacity, the pretexts alleged
for ennobling war have varied considerably, from
sport (such as head-hunting and knight-errantry)
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