Chapter 860 President Cleveland’s dilemma
“What is this?” Cleveland, the 24th President of the United States, said as he looked at the document sent to the desk by his secretary.
"Mr. President, there was a coup in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Our business group overthrew the Kingdom of Hawaii and established the Republic of Hawaii. But now they are in trouble, so they asked us for help."
Cleveland was very Unhappily, he picked up the document and read it. Although many people in the country had designs on Hawaii, especially within the Democratic Party, they were the most vocal.
But President Russell, a Democratic Party, was obviously not among them, because in terms of diplomacy, Cleveland advocated that the country continue to adopt an isolationist policy, opposed territorial expansion, and opposed the annexation of Hawaii.
Yes, Cleveland is unequivocally opposed to the United States' annexation of Hawaii. Of course, although he has no feelings for Hawaii, Cleveland is obviously not a good guy. In the Americas and the Pacific (mainly the Far Eastern Empire and Japan), Cleveland's attention is very high, and Actively promote the expansion of U.S. power in relevant regions.
The most typical one is to force Britain to accept arbitration on the Venezuelan border dispute. In his previous life, Cleveland also sided with Japan in the war between the Far Eastern Empire and Japan, openly supported Japan, and "protected" American missionaries and expatriates. On the pretext of "security and commercial interests", the Marine Corps was sent to the capital and Tianjin area of the Far Eastern Empire.
Of course, although Cleveland opposes the domestic annexation of Hawaii, if everything goes smoothly, he can naturally turn a blind eye and acquiesce to their actions, but now the businessmen in Hawaii are obviously in trouble , only now did he think of coming to him to "wipe" his butt. This approach made him very unhappy.
"Huh!" Cleveland said coldly: "This so-called Republic of Hawaii has not communicated with us before, and it will not be easy for us to end it now, especially since East Africa is not a weak country."
When he took office, East Africa had just ended the South African War and became a major power in the world. The United States actually welcomed the rise of such a big country in East Africa. After all, the United States was also bowing its head at this time. Although the economy Overtaking the UK, but still being suppressed by the UK.
This is true for many countries. In an era when hegemony is prevalent, weak countries naturally hope that other countries can share the pressure they face from the hegemon. East Africa and the United States are actually targets of British suppression.
“This coup in Hawaii was initiated by our minister to the Kingdom of Hawaii. In addition to asking our mainland to send troops to recover Kauai, he also asked the government to pass a bill to annex Hawaii to our territory.” The secretary said at the side .
Cleveland said: "There is no room for negotiation on this matter. As Americans, we must oppose this kind of aggression with strict moral standards and a sense of justice, not to mention that this time it also involves East Africa, the third country in the world. Our international reputation among the three countries is not very good. If we learn from East Africa, we may become as notorious as them."
There is nothing wrong with what Cleveland said. Hegemony is not only at the military level, but also at the British level. The guiding power of world public opinion is also top-notch. For example, the "upstart" in the United States, the "savage" in East Africa, and the "barbarian" in Prussia are not good words, but they are widely accepted around the world, and these suppressions of public opinion are all The privileges of being a world hegemon are similar to the "liberal democracy" designated by the United States in the previous life. Anyone who does not conform to "American liberal democracy" will be madly torn apart by the United States and its domesticated Western countries and lackeys.
The reason why France is independent of the United Kingdom is because France currently has a very strong cultural influence in the world. The two countries dominate the world's colonial system, and at the same time dominate the world's cultural and public opinion hegemony.
Therefore, after the South African War, it can be said that East Africa's international reputation was even more in disarray. "Despotism, colonization, barbarism, slavery" and all kinds of good words were thrown at East Africans without money.
For these terms, Ernst readily accepted that the 19th century is not the 21st century. It would be the most terrifying if the world instead praised East Africa.
Of course, due to the war, East Africa temporarily replaced the United States as Britain's second "hatred" object. In fact, it is not too prominent. After all, the contradiction between Britain and France is more prominent than that between East Britain and the South African War. Britain does not have an advantage, but it is not defeated, and the comprehensive national strength of East Africa does not pose a threat to Britain for the time being. The United States and Germany, two countries with rapid industrial development, are Britain's innermost worries. Especially Germany under the leadership of William II will increasingly attract British firepower and hostility in the future.
To put it sadly, except for a few important industries that are mainly supported, the competitiveness of East Africa's industrial products in the international market is very weak. This is why the UK does not put East Africa on the map. The main reason in my eyes.
Although Cleveland's words are a bit unbelievable, he did the same in the original history. In December 1893, in the original history, Cleveland submitted a message to the U.S. Congress. He asked Congress to "act in a manner consistent with American honor, justice, and morality." Assisting the regime of the Kingdom of Hawaii, which delayed the formal annexation of Hawaii by the United States until 1898.
Now Cleveland is just using East Africa as an excuse to do what he has done in history again, and in this way it can save a lot of trouble.
In history, after Cleveland vetoed the annexation of Hawaii, American newspapers frequently accused Cleveland of failing to expand the territory of the United States, but he always adhered to what he believed to be a just position.
But now that East Africa has appeared, the same approach can completely avoid the dissatisfaction of some people in the country. After all, East Africa can share the firepower.
The secretary said uneasily: "Mr. President, what about the Republic of Hawaii? And even if we don't support the illegal organization of the Republic of Hawaii, are we going to allow the East Africans to annex the entire island of Hawaii!"
His words did cause concern in Cleveland. It was good that Cleveland did not support the United States' annexation of Hawaii, but it did not mean that it would give up Hawaii's power.
Especially the presence of other national forces in the important position of Hawaii, which is bound to affect the national security of the United States.
Cleveland supports the United States to vigorously develop its naval power. In addition to his identity as a Democratic Party, he supports foreign expansion. Hawaii is the only exception. Now East Africa has made the situation in Hawaii even more muddy, so it is also necessary to negotiate with East Africa. Essential.
I don’t want it, and you can’t steal it. This is Cleveland’s attitude. In fact, if Cleveland’s attitude towards the Hawaiian Islands was not so “contradictory”, it would not have these troubles.
"Contact the East African Embassy in the United States. We need to communicate with the East African officials. East Africa is a big country after all. It is impossible for us to start a war with them for Hawaii, but it is also impossible to give up the Hawaiian Islands." Cleveland said.
The current situation depends not only on the attitudes of Cleveland and the Republic of Hawaii, but also on the attitude of East Africa, a third country. After all, if East Africa does not agree to withdraw its troops, the ideas of Cleveland and the Republic of Hawaii will not be realized.
This is the most difficult thing for Cleveland. He is completely morally kidnapped by the Republic of Hawaii. After all, the Republic of Hawaii is an independent act of the American ministers and businessmen on the island, and has not been authorized by him, but these And my family can't just let it go.
At the same time, the factor of East Africa has been added. If it is not handled well, it will lead to international disputes. Therefore, it is most important for Cleveland to find out the attitude of the East African government.
(End of this chapter)