African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 934 Two-step Communication

However, they could not just sit there and watch in East Africa. The arrival of Glade and William made Ernst think that this was an opportunity. However, if he wanted to gain the greatest benefits, he still had to negotiate separately with France and Spain.

In Ernst's view, Spain could not escape death this time. The United States was now in a critical period of transformation into imperialism, so no one could save Spain.

However, it would be important to reduce Spain’s losses, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, by linking up with countries such as France.

On the one hand, East Africa was also planning to expand into the South Pacific. At that time, except for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, almost all powerful countries were planning to expand into the South Pacific, among which Britain, France, Germany and East Africa were the most aggressive. The United States joining the competition in the South Pacific was undoubtedly disadvantageous to everyone. After all, the cake was only so big, and now someone who could eat it came along. Everyone was worried that their "share" would be eaten.

Apart from the United States, the most active country in Southeast Asia in the past was Japan. However, Japan is busy paying off its debts, so it has no chance to participate in this feast. However, Ernst believes that Japan will repeat the same mistakes in the future. After all, a dog will always eat shit.

In Ernst's view, although Britain and France occupy an advantageous ecological niche in the South China Sea region, the two countries are far less threatening than Japan and the United States.

After all, Britain and France are tied up in Europe, and it is only a matter of time before they withdraw from the South Pacific region. However, it is different for Japan and the United States. Not only are they close to them, they are also not easily disturbed by external situations.

The same is true for East Africa. East Africa occupies 43% of Africa's land. The northern part of the country is the Sahara Desert. Although western West Africa has great potential, it has been demolished by the powers. Therefore, there is no force in Africa that can threaten East Africa.

On the other hand, keeping Spain in the South Pacific can further muddy the waters. East Africa now has no ability to show off its power in the South Pacific region. Although East Africa has three colonies, they are insignificant in the South Pacific region.

There is no need to say much about Britain and France, which are ahead of East Africa. The Netherlands and Spain are also not easy to control in East Africa. If the United States joins in, it will be even more difficult for East Africa to manipulate the situation in the South Seas in the future.

Moreover, the paths taken by East Africa and the United States are actually the same. Both are keeping a low profile and then finding the right time to rise to the top and take over world hegemony. More importantly, there is a lot of overlap in the regional competition between the two sides.

For example, the United States regards Latin America as its own backyard, but East Africa also has ambitions for South America. After all, from a geographical point of view, the reason why Europe is so indignant about the Monroe Doctrine of the United States is because the United States is in America and it is difficult for Europe to intervene.

But East Africa is different. It may not radiate to the entire Latin American region, but if we narrow it down to South America, the distance between East Africa and the United States is actually about the same.

Especially Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and other countries on the east coast of South America, which are also only separated from the East by the South Atlantic Ocean.

Of course, as the economy of the west coast of East Africa has not yet risen, East Africa does not yet have the ability to extend its influence to the above-mentioned regions. However, it is foreseeable that countries such as Brazil and Argentina will be a key area of ​​competition between East Africa and the United States in the future.

As a two-ocean country, the United States is based in America, the East is planning for Europe, and the West is focusing on Asia-Pacific. East Africa is based on the African continent, the East focuses on the South Pacific region, including Australia, and the West focuses on South America.

The South Pacific is part of the Asia-Pacific region, and South America is part of the Americas. This is the geopolitical situation between the two.

Of course, the United States' location is advantageous for Europe, while East Africa's location is advantageous for the Middle East and India. This is the difference.

Overall, the two countries have their own strengths and weaknesses, but they have a common goal, which is to make European countries such as Britain and France go bankrupt as soon as possible, so that emerging countries such as East Africa and the United States can redivide the pie. If nothing unexpected happens, there may be a new player in the international community in the future, the Soviet Union, but Ernst does not have much hope for the Soviet Union, whose sphere of influence cannot be separated from the Eurasian continent and does not have the conditions for maritime competition.

……

"Ambassador Glade, I wonder what arrangements you, France, have for Spain? Ambassador William is not here this time, so I hope you can be clear with us in East Africa. Only in this way can our two countries act together."

After sending Ambassador William away, Ernst first communicated with the French alone. After all, the dominant force in deciding this intervention was still the French, and the French would certainly not go all out for the interests of Spain.

Glade frowned and said, "Your Highness, since you asked, I will naturally stop hiding it. In this conflict between Spain and the United States, although we in France are willing to stand on the side of Spain, we may be pessimistic about the situation in Spain."

Ernst deliberately asked: "Then how do you resolve this conflict? The Americans will not let it go!"

Glade said slowly: "From our perspective, we naturally want to minimize the losses after Spain's defeat, so we need East Africa to speak for us at that time to prevent the Americans from going too far."

In the previous life, the Spanish-American War was ultimately mediated by France. Otherwise, the United States, as the victorious country, would not have obediently paid 20 million US dollars to Spain.

Of course, in addition to the debt issue, France's main reason for being nice to Spain is strategic considerations. As the hinterland of France, Spain must stand on the side of France.

For example, the fuse of the Franco-Prussian War was the issue of succession to the Spanish throne. If Spain was won over by Germany or Britain, France would not be in a good situation.

Now France is thinking about revenge on Germany every day, so it naturally cannot lose its basic base of Spain. If something goes wrong, Spain is likely to deal a fatal blow to France in the competition between Germany and France. Therefore, this is the fundamental reason why France has been trying to win over Spain.

Ernst: "I think I understand. We in East Africa support your idea. We will help France to support Spain when necessary. In my opinion, we should not only worry about the situation in the Caribbean. Although the hotspot this time is Cuba, the United States may not be uninterested in other Spanish colonies, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The Pacific has always been the focus of the United States' strategy, and Spain has vast colonies and important strategic islands in the Pacific."

"So, this is also the focus that Spain should guard against. You know, the United States has a geographical advantage in the Pacific Ocean, and the United States is strong, industrially developed, and has a large population. In this case, the United States can easily support its battlefields in two directions, and many of Spain's colonies are stuck in important strategic nodes in the Pacific Ocean, which is undoubtedly not conducive to the interests of various countries in the Asia-Pacific region."

"Take Spain's colony in the Philippines for example. If the United States occupies the Philippines, then its next step will definitely be to expand to the Indochina Peninsula. After all, the most essential area of ​​the Southeast Asian region is in the Indochina Peninsula."

Ernst continued to flatter France. If we were to say which country has the greatest advantage in Indochina, it would undoubtedly be France, which occupies Vietnam, Cambodia and other places. Its resources, ports, population and arable land conditions are the best in Indochina. Ernst's words may not necessarily have an effect, but they can continue to dig holes for the United States. In any case, East Africa will not suffer any loss.

Glade did not react much to Ernst's words. He said, "You have a point, but the United States may not reach out to the Philippines or other Spanish colonies in the Pacific while dealing with Cuba. Of course, I will report this to the government. The specific results are not decided by us."

For Glad, France has done its best to help Spain. As for Spain ceding territory, it is of no concern to France, so Glad does not care. Ernst, an outsider, can do nothing about it. However, France can still lobby Spain if it cannot convince them.

(End of this chapter)