The inevitable comparisons that will be made this December 7 between Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the terrorist assault on the World Trade Center can be dismissed with two words: bad history. So says Dr. Randall Dodgen, chair of the history department at Sonoma State University,
"The attack on Pearl Harbor took place in a context of a crisis of international relations between two nations, both of whom were aware of the real possibility of war," he says.
The targets were military, not civilian, the motive was to cripple the Pacific fleet, not inspire terror, and the outrage of the United States was in part a cover for the embarassment of our military weakness and failure to anticipate the attack, the professor says.
" Where these two events may overlap is in the nature of the U.S. response. Racism, paranoia and rage against the enemy will likely undermine judgement and reason," he points out.
"If any parallels are drawn, perhaps the caution provided by the hysterical and unjust incarceration of Japanese-Americans will guide us to moderate our treatment of Arab-Americans. From the Japanese point of view, comparisons of the attacks of Sept. 11 with Pearl Harbor are not only unjust, but reprise the racism and obscure the historical forces that led Japan and the U.S. to the brink of war."
Contact information: Randall Dodgen, Professor of history and an expert on China. (707) 664-2462 (office). randall.dodgen@sonoma.edu
