Neither Britain nor the United States was well prepared for an Anglo-American war in 1928, although British strength below the battleship level is often overlooked. The 1939 Japanese crisis looks different because Britain would be fighting the kind of Pacific naval war for which it had prepared. A successful campaign could demonstrate military capability without immediately committing Britain to a major home-front land war. The display might warn the fascist dictatorships in Europe against testing Britain elsewhere. The claim identifies a counterfactual incentive for intervention rather than guaranteeing that deterrence would succeed.
Notable Point · 1:41:22-1:42:28
A Pacific war as a warning to Europe's dictatorships
Britain could see a limited naval war against Japan as both a favourable contest and a demonstration of strength to fascist Europe.