Envisioning a Russo-Japanese International Peace Park in the Kuril Islands.

Russo-Japanese relations have been stuck in the fog of a territorial dispute in the Kuril Islands since the end of WWII. Orientation toward the dispute seems mired in the history and legal claims of the past, which do not seem a likely source of resolution to the conflict. Instead, a shift in perspective that focuses on the future, while transforming justice claims on both sides, is required. The paper explores the prospects and problems of one such perspective -- creating an International Peace Park (IPP) in the disputed islands to advance peace and conservation. It argues that the IPP idea holds considerable promise in creating what Conca and Dabelko call "environmental peacemaking" in a pragmatic context that exercises capacities for respect, trust, and mutual understanding. Also, environmental exigencies compel political action to protect one of the world's most unique, and least known, bioregions. However, the Kuril issue is captured by nationalists on both sides, and the political atmosphere not particularly amenable to "international" or "transnational" solutions to the conflict. Nevertheless, the IPP approach is an important, though not sufficient, component in the construction of a more comprehensive peace between the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]