The United States and Asia: Regional Dynamics and Twenty-First-Century Relations

Now in a fully revised and updated edition, this cogent book overviews the historical context and enduring patterns of US relations with Asia. Noted scholar Robert G. Sutter provides a balanced analysis of post-Cold War dynamics in Asia, which involve interrelated questions of security, economics, national identity, and regional institution building. He demonstrates how these critical concerns manifest a complex mix of realist, liberal, and constructivist tendencies that define the regional order. He describes how the United States has responded to Asia’s growing strength and importance while at the same time trying to maintain its leading position as an Asian power despite China’s rising influence. Considering the most important transition in American policy toward Asia since the end of the Cold War, Sutter assesses the growing US-China rivalry that now dominates regional dynamics in the Asia-Pacific and US policy in the region.