The book that I am reviewing is titled The Kurillion Knot: A History of Japanese-Russian Border Negotiations by Hiroshi Kimura. I will first make a general statement about what the book is about and how the research was conducted and then I will move on to discuss the arguments that are being made by the author. I will then move on and briefly outline the chapters of the book and then I will discuss the weaknesses of the book and then I will conclude my review.
General Statement: This book explores why there has been no peace treaty signed between Russia and Japan since the end of world war two. It also discusses the relations between Russian and Japan dating back to the 1600’s and discusses their complex relationship and also
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The author argued due to the bipolar US-Soviet relations, Japanese- Russian relations were “merely a subset of U.S-Soviet and U.S-Russian relations.” (Kimura)(pg.142) Also the author points out even though times have changed since the cold war and the fall of USSR, neither country gives each high priority towards trading and foreign policy. He even goes on to argue that both countries could totally ignore each other and get along just fine. (Kimura) ( pg 142)
The four Kurille Islands:
In his other main point, the value of the four islands is central to his argument of strained relations between the two countries. The islands were both explored and claimed by both countries during interesting periods of history. When Japan explored the islands in the Tokugawa Period, they were in a period of extreme isolation. Russia explored the islands during the same period when they were in a period of expanding. (Kimura)(pg. 144)The islands are rich with oil and have some of the best fishing in the ocean. The author points out due to the expansive nature of the two countries, the need for resources only added fuel to the fire. (Kimura)(pg. 144) Japan viewed the small islands also known as the Kurille Islands
In the present, Japan is a military and economic superpower with strong influence. However, it was not always like this. In the early 1700s, Japan isolated itself from the world and greeted foreigners unfortunate enough to shipwreck in Japan with hostility. In the 1850s, the United States attempted to make contact with Japan to establish a treaty. The U.S. knew even though Japan was hostile, it was weak compared to a western power. Although the U.S. was stronger than Japan, it was nowhere close to being as strong as other western powers such as Brittan or France and was struggling to keep up. Japanese hostility, U.S. power struggles, and Japan’s isolation all led to the inevitable Japanese and U.S. conflict.
The author provides us with an intriguing account of Japan “sealed off” and express of Commander Perry’s forceful handling of his undertaking, had far negative effect for Japan-and the United States political, commercial and foreign relationship.
Clausewitz’s thoughts on war termination effectively summarize the situation for the Japanese and Russian Empires preceding peace negotiations, “Inability to carry on the struggle can, in practice, be
George F. Kennan served as an American diplomat with a background in history and political scientist. He was an influential member of the United States State Department during the Truman Administration and under Secretary of State George C. Marshall (George 2014). Kennan wrote an article titles The Sources of Soviet Conduct in which he highlights policies of the Soviet Union as well as the opinionated response of the United States. He strongly vindicates soviet policy as secretive and suspicious, and that a relationship with this nation should be watched with an ever-careful eye (Kennan 2017, 549). The Soviet Union and the principles of communism believe that capitalism is evil, and in their terms “can lead to the exploitation of the working class by capital-owning classes”, (Kennan 2017, 547). Within the article, Kennan explicitly attacks the aggressive expansionist soviet regime. He warns that the soviets adhere to the notion that they have a duty to eventually overthrow or topple other political forces or regimes beyond their indicated borders. The soviets also felt that to keep these policies in check, the system of centralized government must be held in the clenches of a dictator, or totalitarian figure (Kennan 2017, 548). Kennan drew out plans for the United States that would eventually be known as the “containment” policy. He proposed that foreign policy initiatives should pressure the Soviet Union. The policy must focus on a long-term, vigilant containment of Russian
The Author, John Dower, argues the conflict between the United States and Japan and how it was fundamentally rooted in the mutual hatred of both nations. The death and destruction during
On July 8th, 1853, four US Navy warships, commanded by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, intruded into the Bay of Edo, the former Tokyo. The intimidating fleet of Black Ships, getting their names from the black color of the vessels and the smoke from the steam-powered engines, displayed the formidable military power of the U.S. Navy and forced Japan to end its 220 years of Sakoku(鎖国), the policy of national seclusion. The Personal Journal of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, a three-volume original report narrated by Commodore Perry, documents the fleet’s two expeditions to Japan from 1853 to 1854. This journal serves as one of the most important and comprehensive primary sources for the studies of Japan–United States relations during the 19th century.
John M. Barry examines the nuances of power in America by comparting and connecting and the concepts behind politics, sports, and the media in Power Plays. As a means of maintaining the audience’s attention, Barry uses an informative narrative tone through different specific examples along with anecdotal experiences to prevent the topic from becoming entirely conceptual. Barry, a former college football coach, is able to draw parallels between sports and politics displaying how powerful agendas affect lives. Barry focuses much on the devious tactics that are used to create or destroy America’s most powerful figures.
In 1543, three Portuguese travelers aboard a Chinese ship accidentally drifted ashore on Tanegashima, a Japanese Island. Within a few short years, a myriad of Portuguese merchants, missionaries, and settlers began to arrive in the country and ushered in almost a century of Portuguese imperial presence in Japan. This time period was a unique era in the history of European imperialism, and it is important to evaluate it from multiple points of view. This comparison is easily done with records such as, Captain Alexander Hamilton’s A New Account of the East Indies: Descriptions of Japan and Engelbert Kaempfer’s History of Japan. These two works are both first-hand accounts of the European interactions with the Japanese people. Indeed, these two
March 17, 2005 For: Anne Becker From: Scott Ashby 999004953 _ Phil Parkinson Judy Lee 04003094 Gianni Liburdi 049003649
Throughout the work, Fujitani draws evidence from, and references, a plethora of different sources that add validity to his statements and accounts of not only what the Japanese and United States did, but also why they acted the way they did. In a time of war, both countries took different actions that were not readily understood. Japan
A liberal thinker would argue that U.S. support for Japan is founded in the desire for cooperation. Rather than the realist argument of international interactions being what is called a “Prisoners’ Dilemma,” which inevitably produces a suboptimal outcome due to lack of trust, the “Stag Hunt” approach is used. Kenneth A. Oye, in his book World Politics, defined the single-play stag hunt as “the temptation to defect to protect against the defection of others” which is then “balanced by the strong universal preference for stag
Neighbor Rela- tionships in a Globalized Environment, with Particular Emphasis on Japan-South Korea Relations], in Kobe University, Higashi Ajia e no Shiten [Perspectives on East Asia], December
During the Meiji regime, which was the Government of Japan decided to modernize foreign relations, which was an important stride in making Japan a complete member of the international community. The traditional view of the Far East was not based on an international society but rather on cultural differences. It preferred artists, scholars, and Monks rather than professional diplomats, had been the conveyors of foreign agenda. During this time it, was difficult to differentiate Japans Foreign relations to its sovereign’s desires.
As years went by documents slowly started revealing Japan’s true intentions for the island “thus, the Japanese Foreign Affairs Department has craftily tried to sanitize the Dokdo issue by claiming this is a territorial land dispute” (Dokdo-Takeshima 13).
Imagine that somebody falls off their boat, gets stuck on an island, and then is hunted down. The same thing happened to Rainsford in Richard Connell’s story, “The Most Dangerous Game.” In it, Rainsford gets stuck on an island and meets General Zaroff who hunts people and is going to kill him, unless Rainsford kills him first. Rainsford, therefore, runs throughout the forest area trying to avoid being killed and hoping to kill General Zaroff as well. At the end, Rainsford did survive the ordeal, which means the General died. The theme that results from these events, though, is treat people the same way you want to be treated. The story illustrates the theme through its inciting incident, Rainsford’s goal, events in the story, and its resolution. Therefore, in “The Most Dangerous Game”, Rainsfords journey demonstrates how people should treat others the same way they want to treated, otherwise there might be dire consequences, such as life or death.