5. The conversion of the British Empire into 28 sovereign
and independent states, each free to pursue whatever defence
and foreign policies it might from time to time prefer, was
also bound profoundly to affect the position of the United
Kingdom as a world power. Dependent on its own territory
only,
and on the forces which that territory could afford to
maintain, Britain clearly could not continue for very long
to sustain the sort of military presence far from its own
shores which was practicable in the days of a united Empire.
6.
The withdrawal by the end of 1971 of all permanent
British garrisons East of Suez (excepting Hong Kong), which
came when announced last year as such a shock to many,
should, perhaps, have been anticipated much sooner.
all when in 1947 and 1948 India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon
all became independent, and all excepting Pakistan chose a
policy of non-alignment in the power struggles of the
contemporary world, and when in 1954 we agreed to withdraw
our forces from the Suez Canal, the old bases of our power
East of Suez had already largely disappeared.
After
7•
That our withdrawal from permanent bases distant from
our home shores should be taking place at the end of the
sixties and the beginning of the seventies rather than
20 years earlier has at least had the advantage that it has
been delayed until the countries East of Suez which have
become independent since the last war have had time to
become well established before having themselves to face
the problems of providing for the security of the Indian
Ocean, the Persian Gulf and South-East Asia without the
support of a permanent British military presence there.
18.