The irrepressible Turk: rising tensions in the Balkans

Published: 26 July 1913

The Independent offers an editorial today which questions Turkey’s actions in the current Balkan situation. Under the terms of the Treaty of London, which was thought to have resolved the unease in the region, Turkey’s boundaries were fixed, and various lands were lost to Bulgaria. The paper warns that given the current instability the Turks may be tempted to reclaim lands that they lost in the Treaty, and goes on to claim that Turkey has a long history of encroaching beyond her borders.

However, the situation is complex, as a number of the Great Powers have vested interests in the area. As the paper concludes, any Turkish aggression would be met with a reaction and ‘if Russia and Austria become offensive, all the fat would be in the fire’.

Century Ireland
