Dictators and wannabe empire-builders often use a nuanced rhetoric to justify aggression. Russian president Vladimir Putin justifies his attack on Ukraine by saying that he needs to "save it", though it is uncertain what he is saving it from. China, similarly, resorts to rhetoric to justify its hegemonic claims to Taiwan. However, those claims clash and remain at odds with the reality of the San Fran-cisco Peace Treaty (SFPT) whose anniversary is this month.
By Jerome F Keating