Belgian neutrality and British strategic interest

Britain's 2 August promise covered protection of the French coast. Paul Cambon expected army intervention to follow, but that further commitment remained uncertain. Germany's demand for passage through Belgium changed the political calculation because permanent German control there threatened British strategic interests. Albert refused because he had no guarantee that German forces would leave. Had Belgium voluntarily admitted German troops, Britain would have stayed outside the war. The invasion and Germany's dismissal of the 1839 Treaty of London as a scrap of paper brought national interest and treaty obligation together as reasons for intervention.