Western Europe and Japan Between the Superpowers

Wolf Mendl

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040335215
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Asian Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

First published in 1984, Western Europe and Japan Between the Superpowers is a challenging contribution to the great debate over Western security. Instead of lining up with those who favour the construction of a global alliance under American leadership or those who want neutralism or non-alignment, Wolf Mendl accepts some of the premises of both and argues for a third course.

Taking a long view, he suggests that Japan and the three major states of Western Europe should collaborate in pursuing policies which retain a basic but limited security relationship with the United States and at the same time reassure the Soviet Union that its security is not threatened, seeking to make it a partner rather than adversary in creating a more peaceful world order.

Wolf Mendl concludes his broad and reflective historical analysis of the postwar era with a discussion of the areas in which the European states and Japan could enter a fruitful collaboration; sometimes acting in parallel and sometimes together.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Title Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables and Figures
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. Security in a Changing International Environment
• 2. The Military Dimension
• 3. The Alliance with United States
• 4. Relations with the Soviet Union
• 5. Europe, Japan and the Third World
• 6. Europe's and Japan's Choices
• Glossary
• Appendix I: The North Atlantic Treaty, Washington DC, 4 April 1949
• Appendix II: Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States of America and Japan, Washington Dc, 19 January 1960
• Index