A Perspective on Pearl Harbor

I am a long time political and military historian. I have studied World War Two particularly because it's outcome set the geopolitical stage for all subsequent political, economic and ideological instances throughout the 20th Century and even up until today. World War Two still resonates when people discuss nuclear proliferation, genocide, balances of power and styles of leadership.

There are only a few dates which cause me to give pause and reflect on where we have been and where we are going. December 7th is one of those dates. I think it is important, especially in this era, to contemplate this anniversary and what it means.

First, consider that in 1941, the rest of the world was fully two years into World War Two. Europe had been overrun by the German war machine. Had Hitler not turned his sights on Russia, it is likely that England would have been invaded and conquered.

Second, in the East, Japan had taken Korea, China, Manchuria and Southeast Asia. Japan had actually invaded China in 1937 while Hitler was busy ignoring the Treaty of Versailles. Even further back, in 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria. The United States maintained a cautious distance, supplying England and Russia. We ignored the initial reports of the Holocaust, determining that our national security was not at stake. We had also leveraged some economic power against the Japanese for their Pacific aggression by refusing to sell them the raw material they needed to continue resourcing the Imperial Army and Navy. Our very presence in the Phillipines, various Pacific Islands and of course, Hawaii, was taken as a threat to expanding Japanese interests and aggressive acts. The Japanese used these reasons to justify an attack on Pearl Harbor. That's right, they blamed us for provoking them into attacking Pearl Harbor and the Phillipines. Sound familiar? Keep reading.