The Foreign Service Journal, March 2003

Washington sometimes looks like a world in the look- ing glass. So Edmund Burke, the true conservative, might have been right: “The age of chivalry is gone: that of sophisters, economists and calculators succeeded.” Not only here but also in Japan and, maybe, everywhere. So, I am afraid Powell might be on the losing side on more issues in the future, too. Finally, aside from Powell’s public demeanor, I hear much about his tenderness toward officials working under him. During my time in Washington, I have learned that such solicitude is rather unusual in this high- ly political town teeming with ambitious people. The Roosevelt-Bush Connection Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933), Japanese academician- diplomat and author of the book, Bushido — The Soul of Japan (1900), argued, “No matter how different any two cultures may appear to be on the surface, they are still cultures created by human beings, and as such have deep similarities.” He also said, “The heart of the Japanese people will never change, no matter how things may seem to change on the surface.” It is a well-known story in Japan that President Theodore Roosevelt was so moved by Nitobe’s book (originally written in English, not Japanese, by the way) that he gave copies to his friends. It is even said to have prompted Roosevelt to actively mediate peace talks end- ing the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. In fact, the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth that resulted won him the Nobel Peace Prize. Nitobe later became under-secretary of the League of Nations, created to avoid the horrendous bloodshed seen in World War I. The League eventually failed, in part due to non-participation by America and in part due to Japan’s military adventurism. Since it is often said that Theodore Roosevelt’s work inspires President Bush, I hope one day he will more fully understand the spirit of Bushido that his secretary of State typifies. F O C U S 46 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 0 3