The articles on this page concern history, politics and current affairs. They are written from a liberal conservative perspective, which reflects my life experience: my childhood in communist Poland until our emigration in 1968, my youth in education in declining socialist Britain of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan from 1969 till 1980 (the first year of Margaret Thatcher's Prime Ministership), my long period of living and working in Japan (1980-84), the United States (1984-1990) and then again Japan 1990-2010 and the return to free Poland in 2010. To many liberal and left Westerners my views will probably seem shockingly right wing, while many on theso called Polish Right will see them as too liberal. The first article is on Japan, but I intend to follow it with more articles on Japan, Ukraiane, Russia, Israel and India - all subjects that have interested me for many years.
The article below concerns modern Japanese history, more exactly, events related to the Pacific War. It is based on extensive and careful reading and a very important but almost unknown primariy sourse, the typescript diary of Gordon Thomas, who during the years 1942-1945 was a prisoner of war of the Japanese in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. I have entitled the articleSettled History?for reasons that will soon become obvious to the reader.
A long article on the so called "Comfort Women".
A Japanese translation of the above.
This is a comment I posted in the journal concerned with Asia Pacific political issues called The Diplomat. I don't think "The Diplomat" is very good, at least I have never yet read anything there that I did not know already and most arguments are either clearly tendentious or when they are not, pretty banal.
War Guilt - Japan vs Germany. (Comment on "The Diplomat" magazine.)
Here is a second comment I posted to supplement the first one with a description of some of the primary sources on which my first comment was based.
Some primary sources for the Pacific War (comment on "The Diplomat" magazine)
My views on what Japan needs to improve it's historical image.
Why attempts to "defend Japan's honor" are contrary to Japan's security needs. My comment on the Robert Kelly's Asian security blog. Kelly's orinal post is here.
Japanese Nationalism vs. Japan's Security.
A comment on I posted on Michael Totten's Facebook page.
"Realism" and US foreign policy.
My interview with President Obama on the nuclear deal with Iran.Is Khamenei a true Muslim? My interview with President Obama
An article on Obama's Iran deal by professor Avraham Gover, Ludwig Jokel Chair of Electronics, Dep. Of Physical Electronics, Tel Aviv University.
Iran's Nuclear Chess Game Strategy
On Donald Trump's propsal to kill families of terrorists
An autobiographical esssay on whether Britian should leave the EU.
My Facebook post written in 2016 just after Trump's election. I opposed Trump all the way and would have preferred Clinton to win (the first time in adult life I preferred a Democrat) but my assesment of the future was cautiously optimistic. I don't expect Trump to do nearly as much damage to the world as Obama has done. Moreover, his personal unsuitablity to govern any country does not exclude the possibility of his presidency being successful, especially during the first 4 years.
Should America ally herself with Putin against the islamists.
From a discusson of the "end of liberalism".
Below are two Facebook comments on the folowing article by Michael Totten. The first is a comment on a passage in the article which referes to Poland and the second a reaction to some comments on the article posted on Michael's Facebook page. The article is here
http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/michael-j-totten/liberal-democracy-and-its-discontents