In an attempt to prevent war, the Japanese Prime Minister proposed an agreement with Roosevelt, which eventually led to the Atlantic Charter. However, the high-minded western democratic ideals outlined in the charter seemed directed squarely at Japan, leading to questions of hypocrisy by other Asian countries.
In July 1945, the Potsdam conference was held where the leaders of allied camps discussed the post-war situation and ongoing war with Japan. Meanwhile, the Manhattan project successfully conducted an atomic bomb test in New Mexico, resulting in Churchill being informed about it while attending the conference.
The Tripartite Pact, signed in September 1940, created the Axis Powers alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan, emphasizing self-sufficiency. The Japanese joining the pact, and their misreading of the United States' reaction to it, would lead to tragedy for everyone in Asia.
The United States' decision to use two aircraft carriers for morale boosting purposes may come at a great cost as aircraft carriers have turned out to be the most important ships in the mid 20th century and the country only has four deployed in the Pacific theater. While some argue that there may have been a real world military effect to this decision, it is not worth the risk of losing two carriers in early 1942.
This podcast episode discusses the United States' decision to enter WWI after sinking of American ships, and the German high command's view of the US during the war.
China's strategy was to become self-sufficient domestically in critical areas such as AI, while maintaining a trading relationship with the US. However, with the US-China conflict escalating, China is cautious not to cross the line and lose technology transfer until they achieve their goal of Made in China 2035.