Asia's New Battlefield : The USA, China and the Struggle for the Western Pacific

This compact, insightful book offers an up-to-the-minute guide to understanding the evolution of maritime territorial disputes in East Asia, exploring their legal, political-security and economic dimensions against the backdrop of a brewing Sino-American rivalry for hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region. It traces the decades-long evolution of Sino-American relations in Asia, and how this pivotal relationship has been central to prosperity and stability in one of the most dynamics regions of the world. It also looks at how middle powers – from Japan and Australia to India and South Korea – have joined the fray, trying to shape the trajectory of the territorial disputes in the Western Pacific, which can, in turn, alter the future of Asia – and ignite an international war that could re-configure the global order. The book examines how the maritime disputes have become a litmus test of China's rise, whether it has and will be peaceful or not, and how smaller powers such as Vietnam and the Philippines have been resisting Beijing's territorial ambitions. Drawing on extensive discussions and interviews with experts and policy-makers across the Asia-Pacific region, the book highlights the growing geopolitical significance of the East and South China Sea disputes to the future of Asia – providing insights into how the so-called Pacific century will shape up. Front Cover Book Epigraph About the Author Title Page Dedication & Copyright Contents Figures and Tables Acknowledgements Foreword Introduction The Seismic Shift An Inscrutable Challenge Asia’s New Battlefield 1 | The Great Convergence: Sino-American Symbiosis The Liberal Experiment China’s Soul-Searching The Architect of Reform China’s Charm Offensive Signs of Trouble 2 | The Revenge of History American Retrenchment New World Disorder The Tide of Nationalism A New Paramount Leader 3 | War at Sea: From the Motherland to the Blue Soil Economic Codependence The Beijing Consensus Consolidating the Motherland The Anatomy of a Crisis 4 | Between an Eagle and a Dragon: The Tragedy of Small-Power Politics A History of Dependency Raising the Stakes Taking on China 5 | The Middle Powers: A Game of Thrones The Pivot and Its Discontents Japan Steps In Reinventing Japan Towards a ‘Normal’ Japan A New Era? The Rise of Others The Other Guys 6 | After Hegemony: Towards a Pacific Community A New Security Architecture References Index Back Cover Offers A Guide To Understanding The Evolution Of Maritime Territorial Disputes In East Asia, Exploring Their Legal, Political-security And Economic Dimensions Against The Backdrop Of A Brewing Sino-american Struggle For Hegemony. Heydarian Shows How The Pivotal Relationship Between The Usa And China Has Been Central To Prosperity And Stability In The Asia-pacific. He Also Examines The Ways That 'small' And 'middle' Powers Have Shaped The Trajectory Of Tensions In The Region--tensions Which Could Ignite An International War And Re-configure The Global Order. --from Publisher Description. The Great Convergence : Sino-american Symbiosis -- The Revenge Of History -- War At Sea : From The Motherland To The Blue Soil -- Between An Eagle And A Dragon : The Tragedy Of Small-power Politics -- The Middle Powers : A Game Of Thrones -- After Hegemony : Towards A Pacific Community. Richard Javad Heydarian ; Foreword By Walden Bello. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 325-346) And Index. Foreword by Walden Bello Introduction -- 1. The great convergence: Sino-American symbiosis -- 2. The revenge of history -- 3. War at sea: from the motherland to the blue soil -- 4. Between an eagle and a dragon: the tragedy of small-power politics -- 5. The middle powers: a game of thrones -- 6. After hegemony: towards a Pacific community A timely and comprehensive guide to understanding territorial disputes in the Western Pacific and how the region's growing tensions could reconfigure the global order.