War and State Terrorism: The United States, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific in the Long Twentieth Century
(eBook)

If the past hundred years will be remembered as a century of war, Asia is surely central to that story. Tracing the course of conflicts throughout the region, this groundbreaking volume is the first to explore systematically the nexus of war and state terrorism. Challenging states' definitions of terrorism, which routinely exclude their own behavior, the book focuses especially on the nature of Japanese and American wars and crimes of war. The authors also assess significant acts of terror instigated by other Asian nations including China, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Offering a rare comparative perspective, the authors consider how state terror leads to massive civilian casualties, crimes of war, and crimes against humanity. In counterbalance, they discuss anti-war and anti-nuclear movements and international efforts to protect human rights, and the interwoven issues of responsibility, impunity, and memory. Interdisciplinary and deeply informed by global perspectives, this volume will resonate with readers searching for a deeper understanding of an epoch that has been dominated by war and terror. Tracing the course of conflicts throughout Asia in the past century, this groundbreaking volume is the first to explore systematically the nexus of war and state terrorism. Challenging states' definitions of terrorism, which routinely exclude their own behavior, the book focuses especially on the nature of Japanese and American wars and crimes of war. This rare comparative perspective examines the ways in which state terror leads to civilian casualties, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In counterbalance, they discuss anti-war movements and international efforts to protect human rights. This interdisciplinary volume will resonate with readers searching for a deeper understanding of an era dominated by war and terror. Mark Selden is professor of sociology and history at Binghamton University and professorial associate in the East Asia Program at Cornell University. Alvin Y. So is professor in the Division of Social Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. These perceptive and deeply informed essays should be studied carefully by those who hope to comprehend the past and play a constructive part in shaping a better An important book both because it restores the centrality of Asian wars in twentieth-century history and because it examines critical aspects of modern combat?the deliberate targeting of civilians, the utilization of ever-more lethal methods of human slaughter, the role of state terror?that concern us With the term terrorism recently being used in contexts that have become frighteningly more arbitrary and irresponsible, this volume appears as both timely and essential to understanding a post-911 worldview. War and State Terrorism includes perspectives that are often thought-provoking and always well documented through historical fact. With a number of notable scholars of Asian affairs contributing to this work edited by Mark Selden-himself one of the most renowned experts in his field-the volume contains contributions that provide the reader with some very interesting background to the major conflicts of the twentieth essential reading for those interested in how war affects not only the individuals caught at its centre, but also those at its This provocative examination of state terrorism asks readers to reconsider their assumptions about who are the 'bad guys' and to question why so many outrages are committed against innocent civilians with