Nobody doubts Japan is ready to renounce pacifism. Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is gradually being eroded, and opinion polls suggest its days are numbered. Politicians including Koizumi are already calling the SDF what it actually is--an army.
But how do we interpret Japan's move to the right? Is it a "dangerous reawakening of Japan's martial instincts" or "the emergence of a pragmatic new realism that is natural and long-overdue"?
This article in The National Interest answers that question convincingly. Timely piece too. Recommended reading for indignant, intransigent nationalists all over Asia, especially ones with positions of power and those thinking of setting fire to themselves outside embassies.
Alan Dupont: The Schizophrenic Superpower
Posted by Setsunai at April 22, 2005 10:26 AM | TrackBack