It's a new year, a new century, a new millennium, and a new U.S. administration. In other words, it's time again for a reappraisal of "the most important bilateral relationship, bar none" -- the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Forgive the cynicism, but there is a dreary regularity to such collections that saps the strength of even the most ardent fan of the alliance. Yes, the relationship is vital; yes, circumstances and challenges change. The problem is that the contents of these volumes rarely do. There is far more continuity than change when you look hard at the alliance.
About the only thing that does shift is the perspective and we can thank the end of the Cold War for that. With the Soviet threat gone, the alliance has to find a new raison d'etre, and new perspectives do wonders to explain the dynamics of the bilateral relationship. Is the concern monetary policy, trade policy, the Korean Peninsula, new security threats or the role of international institutions?
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