The Final Scheme: The Persian Gulf
All in all, as for the areas near the Red Sea shipping lanes, Britain could not possibly allow East Africa even the slightest opportunity to expand into the Red Sea region. This was one of Britain's bottom lines. East Africa already held a certain advantage simply because its territory lay so close to the Red Sea; if it went a step further, the Red Sea shipping lanes controlled by the British would truly be in danger.
With that, India and Australia were certainly untouchable. Southeast Asia could not be touched because of the Strait of Malacca, and the areas around the Red Sea were even more off-limits. The only place left with any room for maneuver was the Persian Gulf coast.
Ernst affirmed Svit's judgment. "That's right. If Britain truly abandons a region, it will most likely be somewhere near the Persian Gulf. Of course, if Britain really intends to give us such 'wasteland,' it's not as though we can't accept it."
Although the Persian Gulf held an extremely important place in Britain's national strategy, circumstances were stronger than men. The British Government was no longer thinking about how to expand its hegemony; it also had to consider how to delay its decline.
This was not aimed at East Africa, but at the United States, now the world's foremost economic power. America's development had made the British Government realize that its dream of monopolizing world hegemony was unrealistic. With America's sheer size and industrial capacity, as time passed, Britain would have no way whatsoever to deal with the United States.
Now, with Japan and East Africa joining the picture, Britain's situation had become even more difficult. Why did Britain support Japan? At its core, that too was a sign of declining hegemony. Japan's role