On the other hand, there has been a complete transformation of the scene
in the non-European theatres of the war. After a long period of
comparative stagnation and failure, British arms have once more advanced
to victory. The last of the German colonies--German East Africa--has
been cleared of the enemy; Mesopotamia, with its capital, Bagdad, has
been rescued from the devastating rule of the Turk, and Southern
Palestine, including Jerusalem, after many centuries of effort, has been
liberated by Christian hands. British prestige, indeed, in the East,
which had fallen to a low ebb, has been completely restored; Germanic
hopes of southeastern conquest have been rudely shattered through the
withdrawal of over 100,000 square miles of territory from German
control, and the capacity of Turkey to continue the war has been gravely
impaired. The military results of the year are thus very considerable.
British armies have fought not in France alone, but in Italy, Macedonia,
Mesopotamia, Palestine, and East Africa, and from being a combination of
peaceful communities the empire stands forth as the most powerful of all
the Commonwealths which are withstanding Prussian aggression. The extent
of this effort, the unfailing courage and morale of the British armies,
and the clear determination of all the British peoples to accept no
peace which does not restore national liberty and public right afford
ground for confidence that the Allies will eventually secure the purpose
for which they entered the war.