Cold War Frontiers in the Asia-Pacific

In September 1951 Japan signed a peace treaty with 48 countries in San Francisco. This postwar peace treaty fell far short of settling outstanding issues at the end of the Pacific War or facilitating a clean start for the "postwar" period. Rather, various aspects of the settlement were left equivocal, and continue to have significant and worrisome implications for regional international relations. The treaty's handling of territorial disposition is a case in point. Close examination of treaty drafts reveals key links between the regional Cold War that was unfolding in 1951 and equivocal language about the designation of territory, which can be related to several contentious frontier problems in the contemporary Asia-Pacific. More than half a century later, the so-called Acheson Line and Containment Line still divide countries of the region, part of a legacy of unresolved problems. The global shift to the postCold War era does not negate the significance of the Cold War origins of these problems. In fact, it is appropriate to pinpoint their common origin and consider solutions in a multilateral context

Archaeology · Cartography · Cold war · Economic history · Economics · Fell · Frontier · Geography · Nuclear weapon · Peace treaty · Political science · Politics · Treaty · History · International Maritime Law Issues · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies

• The San Francisco Peace Treaty and Frontier Problems in the Regional Order in East Asia

  Open Access•Kimie Hara•Japan focus•2012

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