Ellis S. Krauss

Hanns W. Maull

Alexandra Sakaki

Kerstin Lukner

Thomas U. Berger

Can Germany and Japan do more militarily to uphold the international order? Since the end of World War II, Germany and Japan have been the most reluctant of all major U.S. allies to take on military responsibilities. Given their histories, this reluctance certainly is understandable. But because of their size and economic importance, Germany and Japan are the most important U.S. allies in Europe and in East Asia, respectively, and their long-term reluctance to share the defense burden has become a perennial source of frustration for Washington. The potential security roles of Germany and Japan are becoming increasingly important given the uncertainty, indeed volatility, of today’s international environment. Under President Trump, friction among allies over burden-sharing is more intense than ever before. Meanwhile, the security environments in Europe and Asia have deteriorated because of the resurgence of a belligerent Russia under Vladimir Putin, the steady rise of an increasingly assertive China, and North Korea’s worrisome acquisition of nuclear weapons. Partly in response to these developments, Germany and Japan in recent years have boosted their security efforts, mainly by increasing defense spending and taking on a somewhat broader range of military missions. Even so, because of their cultures of anti-militarism resistance remains strong in both countries to rebuilding the military and assuming more responsibility for sustaining regional or even global peace. In Reluctant Warriors, a team of noted international experts critically examines how and why Germany and Japan have modified their military postures since 1990 so far, and assesses how far the countries still have to go—and why. The contributors also highlight the risks the United States takes if it makes too simplistic a demand for the two countries to “do more.”

Germany, Japan, and Their U.S. Alliance Dilemma

Reluctant Warriors

This book takes a bird's-eye view of what has been happening with the international order over the last quarter century. Looking at a number of its components, such as the regional orders of Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia, and international regimes dealing with nuclear weapons, climate change, and world trade, it maps the rise and decline of what is called the liberal international order, identifies causes of progress and failure, and draws thiscomparative analysis together in a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the state and prospects of international order. Two chapters each are dedicated to analysing the two most important 'orderingpowers', the United States and the People's Republic of China, offering two different perspectives on the policies and strategies Washington and Beijing have pursued in the international order.

The Rise and Decline of the Post-Cold War International Order

Ivo Maull

Geschichte, Politik, Wirtschaft, Kultur

Im Brennpunkt: Korea

Hanns W. Maull

About

Books

Join the club