East Asia is without question a region of huge economic, political and security significance.
Asian Security and the Rise of China offers a comprehensive overview and assessment of the international politics of the Asia-Pacific since the end of the Cold War, seeking to address the overarching question of how we can most convincingly explain the central dynamics of Asia's international relations. Via a realist perspective on the dynamics and frictions associated with accommodating the rise of powerful states, this timely book addresses the core issue in contemporary Asian politics: the rise of China.
The contributors expertly evaluate China's rise and the impact it has had on the dynamics of regional relations in North East and South East Asia. They demonstrate that China's economic development and its regional and international ambition increasingly conflict with the existing consensus-based regional arrangements such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asian Summit mechanism. As a consequence, smaller states in the region increasingly resort to hedging and balancing strategies in an attempt to mitigate Chinese hegemony. This leaves the region in the grip of a complex and potentially destabilizing security dilemma.
The book offers a compelling analysis of the problem that China presents for its region that will enlighten undergraduate students of regional political studies and international relations. Postgraduate and Masters students on courses addressing East and South East Asia will also find plenty of information in this invaluable book.
Industry Reviews
'This thoroughly researched and clearly written book considers a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the impact and implications of China's rise, with separate chapters considering the very different dynamics of Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. . . In all, they provide valuable information and ample food for thought for students and practitioners at all levels. Highly recommended.' -- M.F. Farrell, Choice
'This book undertakes a sophisticated analysis of considerable nuance. The careful discussion, which makes use of multiple international relations theoretical positions, does not confuse but rather provides a thoughtful, well-balanced approach, missing in some of the more excitable "rising China" publications. . . the book offers many important insights for policymakers, academics and those deeply concerned with understanding the East Asian region.' -- Peter Layton, RUSI Journal
'David Martin Jones, Nicholas Khoo and M. R. Smith have delivered a wonderfull neoclassical take on East Asian security and added energy to the debate surrounding China's rising influence in that region. Asian Security and the Rise of China will find an audience in universities as well as in the conference rooms where foreign and security policies are made in the Asia- Pacific.' -- Dylan Kissane, CEU Political Science Journal
'Khoo, Jones, and Smith have pulled off a remarkable balancing act, crafting a well-grounded and multifaceted survey of China's rise in the context of Asian security. In a field which is often marked more by scholarly effervescence than substance, the authors provide a refreshingly detailed portrait of the last two decades, and fair-mindedly point out evidence which might support both extremes of the debates they challenge with their own "third way".' -- Frank 'Scott' Douglas, US Naval War College, US
