Japan in a post-U.S. world  by Robert Dujarric  Besides the
economic damage, the global financial crisis has dangerous
strategic implications for Japan.  Since 1945, the world has
been organized along U.S.-centric lines. By providing security
guarantees to its allies, Washington has supplied an
international public good to the entire planet. Even countries
not aligned with the United States, such as China or Russia,
benefit from this U.S.-led regime which generally keeps the
peace in key regions of the globe.  This in turns makes possible
an international trade and investment system that is conducive
to economic growth. Therefore, the U.S. performs on a global
scale the same role as the Tokyo police do locally by providing
us with a public good — namely safe streets — thanks to which we
can enjoy productive lives free of crime.  Unfortunately,
America’s capability to offer these public services has been
impaired. First, the Iraq war and the failure of U.S. policy in
the rest of southwest Asia have severely un