Long before the arrival of Western emissaries and powers, East Asian peoples and states were deeply involved in world affairs. In this sweeping account, Warren I. Cohen explores four millennia of international relations from the vantage points of China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Writing incisively and authoritatively for readers at all levels, Cohen paints a broad but revealing portrait of East Asia’s place in the world. He defines the region’s boundaries widely, looking beyond China, Japan, and Korea to include Southeast Asia, and extends the scope of international relations to consider the vital role of cultural and economic exchanges. Cohen examines the system of Chinese domination in the ancient world, the exchanges between East Asia and the Islamic world, Chinese sea voyages to Arabia and East Africa, and the emergence of a European-defined international system. He chronicles the new imperialism of the 1890s, the ascendancy of Japan, the trials of World War II, the drama of the Cold War, and the transformations of East Asian states toward the close of the twentieth century. By showing that East Asia has often been preeminent on the world stage, this book not only recasts the past but also adds crucial historical perspective on international politics today.
This second edition of East Asia at the Center features new material on the first decades of the twenty-first century.
Warren I. Cohen is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. His Columbia University Press books include America’s Response to China: A History of Sino-American Relations (sixth edition, 2019) and A Nation Like All Others: A Brief History of American Foreign Relations (2018).
Table of Contents
Maps Tables Preface to the Second Edition Preface Acknowledgments 1. The Emergence of an International System in East Asia 2. Shadows Over Tang Splendor 3. East Asia Uncentered 4. The Mongol Ascendancy 5. The Resurgence of Chinese Power and the Coming of Islam 6. Europe and Japan Disrupt the East Asian International Order 7. The Great Qing Empire 8. Triumph of the West 9. The Ascendance of Japan 10. Challenge to the West 11. War and Decolonization, 1932–1949 12. The Cold War in Asia 13. The Resurgence of East Asian Economic Power 14. On the Eve of the Twenty-first Century 15. East Asia in the Twenty-first Century Closing Thoughts Notes Further Reading Index
What People are Saying About This
James Mann
Warren I. Cohen is one of the most perceptive, knowledgeable and prolific historians in the world today on the subjects of China and East Asia. He writes with the clarity of a journalist and the wide-ranging authority of a scholar.
— James Mann, foreign-affairs columnist for the Los Angeles Times, author of About Face
Akira Iriye
An ambitious project that takes much courage, stamina, and intellectual acumen to undertake. It is evident that Cohen has all three.
— Akira Iriye, Harvard University
Robert J. McMahon
This is, in all respects, a truly amazing study!... Only a seasoned, talented -- and audacious -- writer would attempt what Warren I. Cohen has.
