Architects of Occupation: American Experts and Planning for Postwar Japan

The Allied occupation of Japan is remembered as the "good occupation." An American-led coalition successfully turned a militaristic enemy into a stable and democratic ally. Of course, the story was more complicated, but the occupation did forge one of the most enduring relationships in the postwar world. Recent events, from the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to protests over American bases in Japan to increasingly aggressive territorial disputes between Asian nations over islands in the Pacific, have brought attention back to the subject of the occupation of Japan.In Architects of Occupation, Dayna L. Barnes exposes the wartime origins of occupation policy and broader plans for postwar Japan. She considers the role of presidents, bureaucrats, think tanks, the media, and Congress in policymaking. Members of these elite groups came together in an informal policy network that shaped planning. Rather than relying solely on government reports and records to understand policymaking, Barnes also uses letters, memoirs, diaries, and manuscripts written by policymakers to trace the rise and spread of ideas across the policy network. The book contributes a new facet to the substantial literature on the occupation, serves as a case study in foreign policy analysis, and tells a surprising new story about World War II.

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Architects of Occupation: American Experts and Planning for Postwar Japan

The Allied occupation of Japan is remembered as the "good occupation." An American-led coalition successfully turned a militaristic enemy into a stable and democratic ally. Of course, the story was more complicated, but the occupation did forge one of the most enduring relationships in the postwar world. Recent events, from the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to protests over American bases in Japan to increasingly aggressive territorial disputes between Asian nations over islands in the Pacific, have brought attention back to the subject of the occupation of Japan.In Architects of Occupation, Dayna L. Barnes exposes the wartime origins of occupation policy and broader plans for postwar Japan. She considers the role of presidents, bureaucrats, think tanks, the media, and Congress in policymaking. Members of these elite groups came together in an informal policy network that shaped planning. Rather than relying solely on government reports and records to understand policymaking, Barnes also uses letters, memoirs, diaries, and manuscripts written by policymakers to trace the rise and spread of ideas across the policy network. The book contributes a new facet to the substantial literature on the occupation, serves as a case study in foreign policy analysis, and tells a surprising new story about World War II.

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Architects of Occupation: American Experts and Planning for Postwar Japan

Architects of Occupation: American Experts and Planning for Postwar Japan

by Dayna L. Barnes
Architects of Occupation: American Experts and Planning for Postwar Japan

Architects of Occupation: American Experts and Planning for Postwar Japan

by Dayna L. Barnes

eBook

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Overview

The Allied occupation of Japan is remembered as the "good occupation." An American-led coalition successfully turned a militaristic enemy into a stable and democratic ally. Of course, the story was more complicated, but the occupation did forge one of the most enduring relationships in the postwar world. Recent events, from the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to protests over American bases in Japan to increasingly aggressive territorial disputes between Asian nations over islands in the Pacific, have brought attention back to the subject of the occupation of Japan.In Architects of Occupation, Dayna L. Barnes exposes the wartime origins of occupation policy and broader plans for postwar Japan. She considers the role of presidents, bureaucrats, think tanks, the media, and Congress in policymaking. Members of these elite groups came together in an informal policy network that shaped planning. Rather than relying solely on government reports and records to understand policymaking, Barnes also uses letters, memoirs, diaries, and manuscripts written by policymakers to trace the rise and spread of ideas across the policy network. The book contributes a new facet to the substantial literature on the occupation, serves as a case study in foreign policy analysis, and tells a surprising new story about World War II.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781501707834
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication date: 03/07/2017
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 240
File size: 2 MB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Dayna L. Barnes is Lecturer in Modern History at City, University of London.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Behind the Curtain 1. Flip-Flopper with the Final Say: Roosevelt and Japan 2. Elbow Patches and Orientalists: Bureaucratic Wrangling3. Unofficial Officials: Think Tanks and Policy4. Information and Ignorance: Media Coverage5. Sucker Nation and Santa Claus: Concerns of Congress6. Ready or Not: Harry Truman and the End of the WarConclusion: The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men

What People are Saying About This

Mario Del Pero

Elegantly written, Architects of Occupation is essential reading for anyone interested in the role ideas play in foreign policymaking and the peculiarity of processes and histories that too often have been trivialized into universally reproducible 'lessons of the past.'

Christopher Aldous

Architects of Occupation is a detailed, well-researched, and comprehensive analysis of the evolution of U.S. policy toward post-surrender Japan from various vantage points, namely those of the executive, the State Department as the key bureaucratic agency, think tanks, the media, and Congress. Dayna L. Barnes describes the environment in which American planning took place and explains how specific policies emerged from the diverse options available. Her portrayal of the 'porous divide' between officials and outside elites and her analysis of networks are particularly interesting. This book enriched my understanding of the process of policymaking not just in relation to domestic debates but also regarding the perspectives of U.S. allies in the region.

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