The heart of The Grand Chessboard is Brzezinski's analysis of the four critical regions of Eurasia and of the stakes for America in each arena - Europe, Russia, Central Asia, and East Asia. The crucial fault lines may seem familiar, but the implosion of the Soviet Union has created new rivalries and new relationships, and Brzezinski maps out the strategic ramifications of the new geopolitical r…
A Plastic Nation examines the immense role of Thai nationhood in domestic and international politics. Although in fact ill-defined, Thainess, or khwampenthai, has been consistently used by Thai leaders to legitimize their power and to defend their economic interests. Not only has the assertion of Thainess been deeply rooted in the private interests of those in power, it has been deployed as par…
The government of Myanmar, considering the many "distortions" contained in foreign accounts, in recuperating its history set up the Myanmar historical commision in the 1950s to delve into the past by way of what is commonly know in Myanmar as "living history".
For over a quarter century, Iran has been one of America's chief nemeses. Ever since Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah in 1979, the relationship between the two nations has been antagonistic: revolutionary guards chanting against the Great Satan, Bush fulminating against the Axis of Evil, Iranian support for Hezbollah, and President Ahmadinejad blaming the U.S. for the world's ills. The une…
This book discusses Pakistan's foreign policy over the last three decades. Pakistan's relations with the major powers, with its neighbours and the Muslim world have been examined. The book also deals with important issues of foreign policy, such as, Kashmir, nuclear issues, and security imperatives. The post cold war challenges and the impact of unipolar world on foreign policy are also discussed.
Regional Powers and Small State Security recounts India's involvement in the affairs of its much smaller neighbor, Sri Lanka, over the question of Tamil separatists in the northern and eastern parts of the island.
Kashmir is the focal point of an acute regional dispute that has pitted India and Pakistan against one another ever since they gained their independence from Great Britain in 1947. Already, these bitter rivals have gone to war twice over Kashmir, leaving the state physically divided and heavily militarized. The eruption of massive anti-Indian violence in Indian Kashmir in early 1990 has changed…
A distinguished career in Pakistan's Foreign Service has provided Abdul Sattar with a unique, personal insight into the making, implementation and consequences of Pakistan's foreign policy from Partition to post-9/11. This concise history reflects his knowledge and experience, providing a thorough account which will be of interest to both the layman and the scholar.
How have shifts in both the international environment and domestic politics affected the trajectory of Japanese foreign policy? Does it still make sense to depict Japan as passive and reactive, or have the country's leaders become strategic and proactive? ""Japan in International Politics"" presents a nuanced picture of Japanese foreign policy, emphasizing the ways in which slow, adaptive chang…
Throughout the past three decades East Asia has seen more peace and stability than at any time since the Opium Wars of 1839-1841. During this period China has rapidly emerged as a major regional power, averaging over nine percent economic growth per year since the introduction of its market reforms in 1978. Foreign businesses have flocked to invest in China, and Chinese exports have begun to fl…