From the Paper
" The issue of military spending and the size and power of the military-industrial complex has been argued heatedly for decades, but the discussion has shifted decidedly in favor of down-sizing the military and reducing military-oriented spending significantly since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the breakup of the Eastern bloc. The end of the Cold War has given impetus to efforts at reducing military expenditures across the board. Ever since World War II, the size of the military budget has been tied to fears of Communist aggression and the perception that the Communist nations were intent on spreading their ideology to every other nation of the world. The disintegration of the Soviet empire has not removed all of the threats from the world stage, and indeed that disintegration has itself created new tensions in some parts of the world as ethnic groups long.."

Tags:BOOK, REVIEWS, (NON-FICTION)

Abstract
This paper discusses the strange environment of Korea's Cold War theme park at Panmunjom, the Korean demilitarized zone. The paper relates that it is also known as "Disney World Meets the Twilight Zone." The paper examines the historical importance of the site and looks at what it contains.

From the Paper
"Korea's Cold War Theme Park, Described as "Disney World Meets the Twilight Zone:" Korea's cold-war theme park; "Panmunjom" is alternatively known as the "Joint Security Area", " JSA" or the "Truce Village." It was built in October on top of a village that was burned out during the war but that became famous for being the site where the Armistice Agreement was negotiated and subsequently signed by opposing commanders."

Tags:Korea, DMZ, Panmunjom, Joint Security Area, cold war, theme park, cease-fire

Abstract
The paper looks at how John Dower, in"Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II", portrays the Japanese reaction to the American occupation and demilitarization of Japan. The paper looks at Dower's exploration of how Americans saw the Japanese, how the Japanese saw the Americans, and how the Japanese saw themselves. The paper describes the picture of Japan that emerges from this work and shows how it contradicts the image of Japanese democracy being constructed under benevolent American hands.

From the Paper
"All too often, writes Dower, Japan and the Japanese experience has been seen as a monolith, especially in regards to its acceptance of American democratization efforts. Dower attempts to show the multiplicity of ideological and intellectual responses to the Japanese defeat and American democratization--or American colonialization, in the eyes of some Japanese intellectuals. It should be noted, however that the Japanese government in part had fed this world image of Japanese total unity, as its propaganda espoused that the Japanese nation was made up of "one hundred million hearts beating as one" (Dower 59). In Japan, after the surrender, information about cruelty within the armed forces and other deflationary accounts quickly revealed the lie of this assertion of unity. But Americans seemed to take this concept more seriously than even many of the Japanese citizens after V-J Day. The concept of the Japanese as a homogeneous collective, in the thrall of obedience to the Emperor was appealing because it confirmed American concepts of Asia as alien, inscrutable, and passive to authority."

Tags:occupation, demilitarization, colonialization, militarism, communism, Emperor, Hirohito

Abstract
This paper examines how the unification of Vietnam was a long and complicated process that involved many entities and individuals. It discusses the primary unification efforts, beginning in the 1940s through the early years of the 1970s. It looks at how these efforts involved three separate political entities: the communist-led nationalist movement known as the Viet Minh (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, DRV), led by Ho Chi Minh and based in Hanoi in North Vietnam; the Saigon-based Republic of Vietnam (RVN), a collaborative effort between chief-of-state Bao Dai and Ngo Dinh Diem; and the Geneva Agreement of July 21st, 1954, that divided Vietnam into two cease-fire zones in the north and south, separated by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel.

From the Paper
"In August of 1945, at the end of World War II, the nationalist movement of the Viet Minh seized power in Hanoi, Hue and Saigon, for the Viet Minh had developed a military force and popular base during the Japanese occupation of Vietnam, and it quickly moved to secure political authority before the imminent arrival of the Allied powers. Emperor Bao Dai, the Japanese puppet, abdicated in late August, and on September 2nd, 1945, Viet Minh leader Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence as the democratic Republic of Vietnam. As Phillip B. Davidson points out, Ho Chi Minh "quoted from the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, first issued in the mid 18th century, in order to give some legitimacy to the claims of the DRV that would bring Vietnam into the fold as an independent Asian entity" (156)."

Tags:sigon, viet, minh, geneva, agreement

Abstract
The recent change in the American foreign policy direction, which has seen the replacement of its traditional anti-colonialist tilt by the neo-conservative belief of guided nation building, evokes a lot of interest in the history of United States' occupation of post world war II Japan. The paper shows that although each occupation is different--the political, social and cultural environment as well as the historical context of every war and country being different-- it is interesting to study how the Americans handled the re-building of Japan in the post-World War II period. There is no doubt that the United State government's influence in shaping the future of Japan was overwhelming. In fact it would not be wrong to state that Japan's current political and economic status as a first world power is a direct result of the guiding philosophy developed by the Potsdam Declaration and further defined by the United States Government. The paper shows that in the aftermath of the War, the Supreme Commander for Allied Powers (SCAP) became responsible to carry out these policies and directives. The Allied Council and Far Eastern Commission had a formal but token involvement in the reconstruction of post war Japan. This was essentially an American undertaking. The reconstruction of Japan was accomplished by SCAP relying on the existing Japanese government and its agencies, especially the bureaucracy, to implement its policies. This paper examines how far the U.S. was responsible in changing the course of Japan's political and social direction and whether the lessons learnt from Japan's post war occupation and nation building are applicable in the present day scenario.

From the Paper
"Perhaps the most glaring example of the American attempt of "re-engineering" the Japanese society and government was the new Japanese constitution drafted in 1946 in the Supreme Commander's headquarters on lines laid down by MacCarthur himself. The new constitution stripped the emperor of the sweeping powers granted to him by the Meiji constitution, making him instead just the symbol of the Japanese nation in a largely ceremonial role. It provided for a British-style parliamentary system, with a cabinet elected by and responsible to the House of Representatives renamed as the National Diet . ("Japan," Encarta, para on postwar reform) In the constitution General MacCarthur insisted on inserting a provision that denounced war , besides recognizing the status of trade unions, the right of votes for women, and the freedom of press. The constitution is in some ways even more "libertine" than the American constitution".

Tags:General, MacCarthur, Demilitarization, Zaibatsu

Abstract
In an effort to determine the causes of Japan's economic and technological success following WWII, this paper examines Japan's history beginning with the signing of the peace treaty bringing an end to World War II and the years that followed. The paper reviews the peace treaty and what was demanded of Japan to bring an end to the war after the bombing of Nagasaki and examines the role of the U.S. in ruling post-war Japan. Furthermore, the paper assesses Japan's aggressive pursuit of its post-war reconstruction, including what industries were pursued and why, and then analyzes those factors that made it possible for Japan to recover in such a short time following the devastating war, becoming a major, global industrial power. A summary of the research is provided in the conclusion.

Introduction
Review and Analysis
Industrialization in Post-War Japan
Cultural and Demographic Factors
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The key points of these policies were simple and straightforward, and included the demilitarization of Japan (so that it would not again become a danger to peace); democratization, meaning that, while no particular form of government would be forced upon the Japanese, efforts would be made to develop a political system under which individual rights would be guaranteed and protected; and the establishment of an economy that could adequately support a peaceful and democratic Japan. Further, MacArthur shared the vision of a demilitarized and democratic Japan and he was well suited to the challenge. MacArthur was an outstanding administrator and possessed the leadership and charisma that appealed to the defeated Japanese. MacArthur did not tolerate any domestic nor foreign interference, and aggressively went about creating a new Japan. To this end, he encouraged an environment in which new forces could and did rise, and, where his reforms corresponded to trends that had already established in Japanese society, they served to play a critical part in Japan's recovery as a free and independent country (Winchester 1989)."

Tags:allies, japanese, douglas, macarthur, tokyo, occupation, potsdam, declaration, demilitarization

Abstract
This essay compares the institutions, public policies, economies and standards of living in North and South Korea. The author also gives an historical analysis of the peninsula's modern condition, including its relationship with China, Japan, the Soviet Union and the United States. In a larger sense, the essay addresses the argument between capitalism vs. communism, with North and South Korea providing an ideal case study unlike any other two modern states.

From the Paper
"The end of World War II brought a long-awaited, yet all-too brief calm upon the Korean peninsula. While Korean citizens celebrated the end of Japanese colonial exploitation, a feeling of uncertainty abounded concerning the arming of the 38th Parallel, which divided the people based on ideologies many Korean citizens did not understand. For the arbitrary division was not based upon political beliefs of most of the Korean people themselves, who were mostly poor, peasant farmers. Rather, the 38th Parallel was the result of a compromise between the two new world superpowers, which emerged after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union. To this day, the Korean peninsula stands as the last of the countries divided after the war, and as a remnant of the Cold War. For that reason, North and South Korea provide us with a very unique case study: the socialist-authoritarian government of the north and the free-market constitutional democracy of the south."

Tags:38th, capitalism, china, communism, demilitarized, free, japan, korea, korean, market, north, parallel, socialist, south, soviet, states, union, united, zone