April 25, 2024
Evergreen

Margin of error: A response to criticism of “Tyranny of the Weak”

The community's reaction to the issues in Armstrong's book have been way off the mark

I was recently following up references in two different books, trying to track down the text of the Austro–Hungary Japan Treaty of 1869 – I know, some people have funny hobbies. Both referred to a collection published by the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 1899.

But when I tracked this down online, I found that it only dealt with treaties that were then currently in force, and the 1869 treaty, like all the other “unequal treaties”, had just been superseded. Carelessness or dishonesty? Then I checked again and the mistake was mine: while there was some ambiguity in one of the footnotes, I had misread the date in the other. 

Become a member for less than $4 per week.

  • Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis
  • The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop
  • Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns
  • Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting
Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts.
Subscribe now

All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time.