Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies Ser.: Ghosts in the Neighborhood : Why...

The University of Michigan Press

Ghosts in the NeighborhoodWhy Japan Is Haunted by Its Past and Germany Is Not\nAuthor(s): Walter Hatch\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: The University of Michigan Press, United States\nImprint: The University of Michigan Press\nISBN-13: 9780472075768, 978-0472075768\nSynopsis\nGermany, which brutalized its neighbors in Europe for centuries, has mostly escaped the ghosts of the past, while Japan remains haunted in Asia. The most common explanation for this difference is that Germany knows better how to apologize; Japan is viewed as impenitent. Walter F. Hatch rejects the conventional wisdom and argues that Germany has achieved reconciliation with neighbors by showing that it can be a trustworthy partner in regional institutions like the European Union and NATO; Japan has never been given that opportunity (by its dominant partner, the [url] to demonstrate such an ability to cooperate. This book rigorously defends the argument that political cooperationnot discourse or economic exchangebes.