Observers of poor relations between Japan and South Korea often lament that history sustains poor relations between the two countries. In a new article at Foreign Affairs, I argue that this gets the causal arrow backwards.

Countries decide what kind of relations (distant and inimical, or close and warm) best serve their strategic purposes. Countries that are trying to mobilize their public against a security threat will craft a hostile narrative toward it, whereas countries that are trying to encourage rapprochement with another state soften their narratives.

Today’s frequent historical controversies between Japan and South Korea, I argue, are a reflection of their broader strategic environment that does not particularly encourage closeness (and in South Korea’s case, may even encourage distance).

So don’t blame history. Historical disputes are a symptom, not the cause, of countries with distant relations.