John Dower, author of a Pulitzer Prize winning book about rebuilding Japan after World War II has written an article in the New York Times (possible free registration required) contrasting the situation in Japan after WWII with what should be anticipated if the USA attacks and occupies Iraq. The short summary is that the situations are extremely different and Iraq would be unlikely to resemble the way Japan recovered.
A key difference is the fact that Japan's infrastructure, including its bureaucracy, was largely intact after the war. This is unlikely to be the case in a defeated Iraq.
Another is that the Japenese Emperor accepted the defeat and the Japanese people continued to follow the Emperor's guidance in accepting the defeat. It can hardly be imagined that Hussein will willingly order his followers and the citizens of the country to accept imposed governance by the USA.
Another significant factor to consider is the uneasiness of the Middle East in general compared with the calm isolation of Japan in the years immediately following WWII.
Still another is the lack of significant natural resources in Japan which kept potential carpet-bagger style predators from pouncing, which is a sharp contrast with the enormous oil reserves possessed by Iraq.
It is an insightful article comparing how a carefully planned and successful rebuilding program in Japan is unlikely to be a useful guide for how to rebuild a war torn Iraq.
Posted by JoKeR at October 28, 2002 01:29 PM | TrackBack