Japan and Australia Seeking the Preservation of Peace through Liberal Politics

                         LIBERAL   POLITICS    

Source: http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200703140093.html

On Tuesday, March 13, Tokyo and Canberra (Australia’s capital city) agreed to a bilateral cooperation pact that is aimed at dealing with security issues such as those related with North Korea and terrorism.

The security pact agreed upon after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Australian Prime Minister John Howard met at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence. Termed the “Tokyo-Canberra Declaration”, this pact covers anti-terrorism measures, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and military cooperation between the two countries overseas. In addition, this pact ensures continued engagements between both Prime and Defense Ministers of Japan and Australia.

Previously, both Japan and Australia had created similar security pacts with the United States. Therefore by agreeing to this pact, Japan and Australia completed a triangular security alliance in the Pacific between the United States, Australia, and Japan.

Clearly, the Tokyo-Canberra Declaration is a product of liberal politics, seeking greater cooperation through institutions such as treaties and engagement between state leaders, rather than a radical approach to politics that would necessitate a power struggle between states.

Interestingly enough, Japan (currently), Australia, and of course the United States are all democratic states, and when viewed through the lense of the Democratic Peace Theory, are states that theoretically should never go to war with one another. Indeed, it is democratic states that are more likely to pursue liberal politics through methods such as creating treaties that promote greater cooperation between countries. Therefore, Japan and Australia are living up to the democratic ideal of cooperation and compromise, rather than resoring to the use of systematic violence in war to pursue international security policy.

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