Toynbee questions the assumption that being an outsider automatically makes an observer impartial. Because he is neither Greek nor Turkish, he might appear less likely to favour either side, but he argues that distance from a conflict is not sufficient evidence of fair judgement. People can become strongly committed to groups to which they do not themselves belong.

His wider point concerns the relationship between identity, sympathy and objectivity. An outsider may idealise a cause, adopt its grievances or defend it with greater intensity than those directly involved. Toynbee therefore treats impartiality as something that must be demonstrated through judgement and evidence rather than inferred from nationality or social position. The quotation also contains an element of self-scrutiny: in presenting his own account of the Greek-Turkish conflict, he acknowledges that his Western identity and lack of direct national allegiance do not place him automatically above prejudice or partisanship.