World Order: The Dreams and Frustrations of Globalization

"Before I knew it, I had grown old." I wrote this in the "Afterword" of this book.

For today's students, the "post-Cold War" era probably feels much like the "post-war" era did for my generation. However, that post-Cold War era has now ended, and history is moving into its next phase.

If I were to describe the post-Cold War world in a single phrase, it would be the "era of globalization." Since the free movement of goods, capital, information, and people across borders was the trend of the times, it was a widely shared common sense that major powers using military force over territory was obsolete.

However, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the United States began to implement blatant protectionist policies. Around Japan, China's military threats toward Taiwan are intensifying, and Japan cannot remain unrelated to these developments.

The dream of globalization has been frustrated, but why? And what kind of world will emerge after globalization? In this book, while looking back at the history of past failures of globalization in my own way, I have categorized and presented four possible images of the future world order.

The future of the world order is always uncertain, and prediction is essentially impossible. In fact, many past predictions of the future have been a parade of misses. Nevertheless, some things seem certain. It appears that Japan is entering a world where the premises of the past 80 years no longer apply. For better or worse, the nature of post-war Japan is inextricably linked to the role of the United States as a hegemon or an empire.

But if that United States blatantly promotes "America First" and starts making deals with Russia and China without regard for the interests of its allies or norms like freedom and democracy, the Japanese people will be forced to face a level of resolve they have never had before.

This book was written with university students and general readers in mind to develop my own awareness of the issues; in today's world of political science, which requires strict intellectual procedures, the discussion might be dismissed as too broad. However, at this age, I no longer care what anyone says. Getting old isn't all bad.

World Order: The Dreams and Frustrations of Globalization

Masayuki Tadokoro

Chuko Shinsho

208 pages, 1,012 yen (tax included)