One of the hoariest cliches of international politics is the idea that governments only have beefs with other governments, not with their citizens. The tragic irony is that the citizens suffer anyway. Maybe the majority of Iraqi people didn't like their tyrant, but one has to wonder how much they accept the huge sacrifice in innocent lives that has accompanied his removal.

The Japanese government has been careful not to criticize the citizens of China and South Korea who object to what they see as Japan's lack of contrition for its actions during World War II. Though they may try, there is no proper or effective way for governments to talk directly to citizens of other countries. Diplomacy is defined as dialogue between governments.

That's why there are international exchanges, which are meant to promote peace and understanding between different peoples regardless of what is going on between their respective leaders. However, citizens are just as susceptible to generalizations as governments are. Partly because of their relative wealth and partly because of a persistent claims to "uniqueness," Japanese people have always had the reputation of being patronizing toward their neighbors, and recently they've tried to make up for it by professing solidarity with Asia.