"Kamikaze" Syndrome

How Fake History Crushes Democracy and Ignites War
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-981-952194-4
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 60 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 125 g

Reihe: SpringerBriefs in Political Science

The world was stunned when Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine—how could war erupt in Central Europe in the 21st century?

Yet it did. Why?

One key to understanding this atrocity lies in Vladimir Putin’s distorted vision of Russian history—a glorified past weaponized to justify aggression. This manipulation of historical memory is not unique to Russia. It echoes most vividly in Japan during World War II, when suicide missions were named “Kamikaze,” invoking a legendary typhoon that repelled Mongol invaders 700 years earlier. This mythologized past was repurposed to inspire desperate wartime sacrifice.

This phenomenon—where autocratic regimes selectively glorify history to legitimize violence and suppress democracy—is what this book terms the “Kamikaze Syndrome.” It is visible in China’s nationalist narratives, Myanmar’s historical revisionism, and even in President Trump’s America, where the slogan “Make America Great Again” evokes a nostalgic, idealized past with striking parallels to the memory politics of Russia and China.

This book offers a compelling comparative analysis of Russia, China, Myanmar, and the United States, revealing how distorted historical narratives can fuel authoritarianism, erode democratic institutions, and ignite conflict. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand today’s turbulent geopolitical landscape, this book exposes the dangerous power of fake history in shaping the future.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mikami, Yoshikazu

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Kommunikationswissenschaften
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Medienwissenschaften Journalismus & Presse
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte: Ereignisse und Themen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Menschenrechte, Bürgerrechte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Fake History and Memory Politics.- Putin’s Russia.- Xi’s China.- Tatmadaw’s Myanmar.- Trump’s America.- Memory Politics Unleashed.

Über Autor(innen)

Yoshikazu Mikami is an author, journalist, and a Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Mejiro University, Japan. He started his career as a reporter at Agence France-Presse (AFP) and later as a foreign correspondent at Reuters and magazine, covering Tokyo as well as different parts of Asia. His first book was “ ” (1991), one of the first studies of the Nobel Peace Prize winner in the world. Since then, he has written articles and books, including the chapter “Press Freedom Under the Government of Aung San Suu Kyi: The First 5 Years” (in “ ” Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). 

Professor Mikami was awarded a Knight-Bagehot Fellowship, at the School of Journalism, Columbia University, and an International Fellowship at the School of International and Public Affairs, also at Columbia University. He was also Awarded a Rotary Foundation Scholarship and a Dean’s Honorary Fellowship in the same year. As a media expert, he has written numerous articles and chapters, including “Kamikaze” Syndrome from Russia to China to Myanmar: Fake History in a Post-truth Era Crushes Democracy and Ignites a War” (in “ ,” Springer, 2023), a shorter version of this book, on the selective misuse or abuse of history for political gain by autocratic governments, otherwise known as “Kamikaze” Syndrome.