The British, who find glorious words for both victories and defeats, have an expression for their retreat from imperialism. They call it "creative abdication."
In Malaya, Britain's rubber-rich colony, last week the phrase seemed for once appropriate. Four years ago the British promised Malaya self-determination "in due course," but did not fix a date. Last week the British named a date, and soon: August 1957.
Last year they set up Malaya's first popularly elected government, prepared for a period of temporary confusion and uncertainty while Malayans found their political feet. Chief Minister Prince (the Tengku) Abdul Rahman moved immediately to make...
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