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A Postscript Chapter 589only for the time being, a monopoly of an overwhelming superiorityin the use of some of the tremendous means of aggressivemilitary action which Science has set out to discover and effectivelyutilise. The terror of destruction and even of large-scaleextermination created by these ominous discoveries may bringabout a will in the governments and peoples to ban and preventthe military use of these inventions, but, so long as the natureof mankind has not changed, this prevention must remain uncertainand precarious and an unscrupulous ambition may evenget by it a chance of secrecy and surprise and the utilisationof a decisive moment which might conceivably give it victoryand it might risk the tremendous chance. It may be argued thatthe history of the last war runs counter to this possibility, forin conditions not quite realising but approximating to such acombination of circumstances the aggressive Powers failed intheir attempt and underwent the disastrous consequences of aterrible defeat. But after all, they came for a time within a hair’sbreadth of success and there might not be the same good fortunefor the world in some later and more sagaciously conducted andorganised adventure. At least, the possibility has to be noted andguarded against by those who have the power of prevention andthe welfare of the race in their charge.One of the possibilities suggested at the time was the growthof continental agglomerates, a united Europe, some kind of acombine of the peoples of the American continent under theleadership of the United States, even possibly in the resurgenceof Asia and its drive towards independence from the dominanceof the European peoples, a drawing together for self-defensivecombination of the nations of this continent; such an eventualityof large continental combinations might even be a stage in thefinal formation of a world-union. This possibility has tended totake shape to a certain extent with a celerity that could not thenbe anticipated. In the two American continents it has actuallyassumed a predominating and practical form, though not in itstotality. The idea of a United States of Europe has also actuallytaken shape and is assuming a formal existence, but is not yetable to develop into a completed and fully realised possibility