Today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Tomorrow will be the anniversary of President Roosevelt’s signing a declaration of war on Japan. Diplomatic efforts that began over a decade earlier failed, leaving military options that ultimately led to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In the last days and weeks, U.S. efforts at (or at least communication about) diplomacy have seemed confused. Ongoing tensions between the U.S and Iran, Russia, Korea seem to escalate. Yesterday’s announcment from President Trump that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel has stirred strong response, positive and negative. Most interesting is the question about how such a move fits into diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in the middle east.
You may be interested in exploring some of the resources in the Boston University Libraries to learn more about diplomacy: