Spotlight on Asian studies . . .

China today bears little resemblance to the country introduced in the first edition of Understanding Contemporary China, published nearly two decades ago. Even in just the past five years, dramatic changes have occurred under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. This new edition of the book reflects those changes, exploring the impact of new domestic policies; China's role as a behemoth    More >

The complex security dynamics of the pivotal Asia Pacific region, involving disparate and contentious power blocs, clearly have implications far beyond the region itself. Thomas Wilkins sheds new light on those dynamics, providing a rich framework for better understanding the nature of security alignments in Asia Pacific, as well as a reexamination of the dominant forces at play: the US alliance    More >

Refuting criticisms that call into question the effectiveness, and even the purpose, of ASEAN, Shaun Narine traces the organization's political and economic development and explores its impact within Southeast Asia and beyond. Narine considers ASEAN's role both regionally and with regard to the external powers—China, the United States, Japan, Russia, and increasingly    More >

Strategically located at the crossroads of Central Asia, China, and Russia, Mongolia has long attracted the attention of major world powers. How has this traditionally nomadic, but resource rich, country used a "Wolf Strategy" to establish its own place in the modern world? What challenges does it now face? Answering these questions, Alicia Campi provides a multifaceted examination of    More >

With the countries of Southeast Asia increasingly challenged by a plethora of nontraditional security issues—climate change, food and water security, infectious diseases, and migration key among them—a number of important questions have emerged: What national and regional efforts are being made to address these issues? Why have some approaches proven more successful than others? How do    More >