“And now we come to the Germans. Bismarck and Wilhelm have them firmly under control and motivated. I should say Bismarck does, because old Wilhelm is seventy-seven now. He lets Bismarck do what he wants, as long as everyone pretends the emperor is in charge. It’s an amazing story, really, how they got the kings to submit and name Wilhelm emperor at Versailles three years ago. But that’s for another time, Peter.
“Back to the subject. The Germans are gaining in industrial power quicker than anyone and are the bull elephants on this continent, scaring the hell out of everyone else, including the British, though they won’t dare admit it. The Germans, now united under the emperor in a federation of states that’s becoming stronger every day, are expanding their influence around the world too.
“Just wait, they’re determined to rival the French and British in imperial possessions and I think they’ll damn well do it. And one region they’re looking at is the Mediterranean, particularly Morocco, which especially vexes the French, an added feature that delights the Germans, as if crowning their emperor at Versailles wasn’t insult enough to the Frogs.
“And here is a most important thing. The German army is the dominant force on land in Europe. Those Prussians scare the hell out of everybody. Fortunately, their navy isn’t strong enough to offer a threat to anyone—yet. But I’ve no doubt that the Germans, who are learning from British innovations, will at some point challenge the British at sea, as farfetched as that’s seems now.”
“What about Spain?” asked Wake.
“The Spanish are in turmoil and pretty much the sad joke of Europe. No one’s afraid of them and no one needs them. Oh, they give good parties and are pleasant people, I really like their music, but they aren’t a threat to anyone—except each other. The current civil war is applauded by revolutionaries and republicans, and by conservatives and monarchists, and mostly ignored by everyone else in the world, Peter.”
Wake could hear the sarcasm dripping as Davis explained it all to him. Good Lord, if he’s this way in only four years, ruminated Wake, what will he be like in ten?
Another champagne glass was emptied. “Now the British, French, and sometimes our warships, periodically have visited Spanish ports to protect their nationals living there, but it’s all for show. No one in Europe really cares and most think that Madrid will sell Cuba to the Americans to keep the imperial treasury restocked. And the war scare over Cuba a few months ago? Most diplomats here think it was all bravado on the part of the Spanish. Yep, the only thing the Spanish have going for them is geography—the Straits of Gibraltar. And the Brits won’t let that into the hands of a hostile power. What did you see when you were there last month?”
“Hatred. Chaos,” said Wake, watching for a reaction from Davis but seeing none. He had been wondering if anyone in Sevilla had ever identified Allen or him as the ones in the Alcázar, but hadn’t seen any indication of it so far. Thank God.
“Yes, proves my point. Now we come to the Austrian-Hungarians. They’re strong, with a professional army and a navy worth reckoning with, but they’re currently busy opposing the Ottoman Empire over its frontier in Europe. Alleged religious atrocities—you hear these things about both sides—have fueled the dispute and fanned the hatred among the peasants for centuries, but the politicians are really sparring over economic control and deterrence of Russia’s influence and expansion in the Balkans. Vienna and Istanbul have been to the verge of war several times recently, but they’ve backed down at the last moment each time. It appears, to me at least, they’re content with fighting their war in small scale along the Balkan borders, like they’ve done for the last five hundred years. The Italians, though, watch them like a sparrow watches a hawk. Most of the Italian army is up on the northeastern plains of the country, ready to defend against an invasion.”
“And Russia? We hear a lot about them these days back home.”
“Russia is the odd man out, who desperately wants to be invited to the party. The Russians want to be considered as Europeans, with culture and power, but are considered by most real Europeans to be a backward feudal state lost in the Middle Ages, and generally a nuisance. Except by the Ottomans, who are deathly afraid of the Russia’s influence with the Christian peoples of the Caucasus and the Balkans.”
Wake had heard of “the Caucasus and the Balkans” but had no definitive knowledge of where they were. He was going to ask, but didn’t have time, since Davis was moving forward in his recital.
“The Russians have a huge army, it’s true, but the professional military men here in Europe aren’t impressed. Worst conscripts they’ve seen, one of ’em told me. They discount it as obsolete, ill-led, and fit only as target practice for the German army’s Prussian artillery. Likewise for the navy, which Tsar Alexander had built for his own viewing pleasure, actually thinking that it might impress someone else, as incredible as that seems.”
Davis chortled as he said, “It’s not even allowed through the Bosporus by the Turks. And talk about embarrassment, Peter, the Russian Baltic Fleet can’t even send ships around to the Med without them breaking down enroute and asking for help from the Brits, who’ve given it out of some treaty obligation they never thought would be used.”
Davis took in a deep breath. “Let’s see, that leaves us with the cradle of democracy, doesn’t it? The Greeks are pretty much like the Spanish—in chaos and civil war internally. Externally they’re consumed by their hatred of the Turks. The Greek peoples within the Ottoman area of Europe are fighting their incessant war of liberation, while the Greeks in the homeland fight each other. The rest of Europe prefers to
