31 March 2008

Asia Eyes America: Regional Perspectives on U.S. Asia-Pacific Strategy in the Twenty-first Century

Jonathan D. Pollack, ed., Asia Eyes America: Regional Perspectives on U.S. Asia-Pacific Strategy in the Twenty-first Century (Newport, RI: Naval War College Press, 31 March 2008).

Contains a collection of papers produced by participants (U.S. and regional scholars and analysts) at a conference,“Asia Eyes America,” held at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, in May 2006. What are the implications of Asia’s longer-term transformation for U.S. interests? How might such change reconfigure American security requirements in the next decade and beyond? On what basis does the United States reaffirm yet redefine its enduring commitment to regional order? This volume, a collaborative effort involving prominent specialists on both sides of the Pacific, addresses these issues. The book focuses on underlying attitudes toward American power and policy, especially as viewed by strategic analysts within the region. Various contributors describe contradictory attitudes toward American power. Most states hope to deepen ties with the United States, while avoiding comprehensive envelopment in U.S. strategy. There is a clear tension between the preference for continued American regional involvement, while seeking to limit the possibilities of highly intrusive U.S. policy interventions. Both considerations will continue to shape regional attitudes toward American power, especially U.S. military power.