Remembering Santayana: The lessons unlearnt from the war against Japan - Softcover

De Vries, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1514186594 ISBN 13: 9781514186596

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017

Synopsis

During the prologue to the Iraq War of 2003, George W. Bush repeatedly employed the example of Japan to advocate why Iraq could be remade as a democratic state within the Western alliance. If a nation as divergent and unique as Japan could be agreeably transformed, he reasoned, any nation could. The bulk of the pre-war assumptions of George W. Bush have long since been derided but this particular premise remains broadly held. Even today, when failure is plain to see, there is still a general sense that Iraq will ultimately emerge as another ‘Japan’. Remembering Santayana, inspired in its title by the adage of the Spanish-born philosopher, George Santayana, that “those who don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, sets out why this assumption by George W. Bush was, and remains, fundamentally wrong. It revisits the history of interaction between the West and Japan, identifies the problems which misconceptions have spawned and sets out a course for a future in which lessons are learnt rather than mistakes remade.

About this title

About the Author

Paul de Vries is a long term resident of Japan. He is regular contributor to the Japan Times, Japan’s preeminent English language. His articles related to historical themes relevant to Remembering Santayana can be sourced by Googling “Paul de Vries The Japan Times”.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1514186594
• ISBN 13: 9781514186596
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192