Asia-Pacific : the failure of diplomacy, 1931-1941

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

    1 Citation (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In the spirit of ambassadors Grew and Craigie, this chapter searches for diplomatic failings between 1931 and 1941 that contributed to the outbreak of war in Asia and the Pacific. It finds few of consequence. In this sense, this chapter takes its cue from Hull and Churchill. Or, to be more precise, this chapter echoes Hull’s and Churchill’s above-mentioned responses to charges of diplomatic failings. It not only locates numerous diplomatic success stories; it examines those national policies which set the confines within which the diplomats operated. Those confines were often antithetical to negotiation, and quite often precluded diplomatic agreement. In a nutshell, this chapter proceeds from the assumption that diplomacy does not exist merely to prevent war, and that it would therefore be ahistorical simply to tell the story of a litany of diplomatic failures that led to war in Asia and the Pacific.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe Cambridge History of the Second World War. Volume II, Politics and Ideology
    EditorsRichard J. B. Bosworth, Joseph A. Maiolo
    Place of PublicationU.K.
    PublisherCambridge University Press
    Pages253-275
    Number of pages23
    ISBN (Print)9781107034075
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

    Keywords

    • Pacific area
    • World War, 1939-1945
    • diplomatic history

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Asia-Pacific : the failure of diplomacy, 1931-1941'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this