The New Global Politics of the Asia-Pacific : Conflict and Cooperation in the Asian Century

Now in its new and fully updated third edition, The New Global Politics of the Asia Pacific continues to provide a compelling analysis of a region undergoing dramatic changes. Based on new research and offering fresh interpretation, this edition evaluates the prospects for continuing US dominance in the ‘Asian Century’. Whilst presenting evidence for a multifaceted ‘Beijing Strategy'', which aims to counter the US by building an alternative regional order, it also explains Japan’s definitive departure from its limited military role. Providing an introductory guide for the main frameworks needed to understand the region, including realism, liberalism and critical theory, this new edition is reader-friendly, and offers sophisticated competing explanations. Key content includes:

• Intra-regional conflicts in the South China Sea and the Korean peninsula,
• The different responses within the Asia-Pacific to the globalization of Western ideas of democracy and political economy,
• The underappreciated success of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in building a regional identity,
• The European Union’s soft power in the region.

A highly topical account, which offers an overview of the main actors, institutions and contemporary issues in the Asia-Pacific, the book will be essential reading for undergraduate students of Asian Studies, International Politics, and anyone interested in the region.