The Pacific Rim And The Western World: Strategic, Economic, And Cultural Perspectives

by Philip West, Frans A.M. Alting Von Geusau

Overview

Analyzing the economic, strategic, and cultural elements that shape the attraction—and the friction—between the Pacific and Atlantic communities, this book integrates European perspectives into a discussion that has traditionally been dominated by Asian and U.S. voices. The authors take as their theme the uncertainty created by the Pacific Rim’s new role in shifting the international balances of political and economic power. Economic uncertainty has been fueled by Asia’s trade surpluses with Western Europe and the United States, with the West viewing its system of free world trade as working to the greater advantage of the Asia Pacific. Strategic uncertainty pivots on the U.S.-USSR superpower rivalry and on the growing influence of Japan and the PRC on the strategic balance in the Pacific Basin. A more subtle and powerful constraint surfaces in the realm of culture—in differing perceptions among the people of the Asia Pacific and the West concerning liberal values and the liberal underpinnings of the present system of world trade.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367294663
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/13/2019
Pages:	330
Product dimensions:	5.88(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

"Philip West is associate professor of history and East Asian languages and cultures as well as director of the East Asian Studies Center at Indiana University, Bloomington. Frans A. M. Alting von Geusau is professor of law and international relations at Tilburg University, the Netherlands, and director of the university’s John F. Kennedy Institute."

Table of Contents

Preface — The Pacific Rim and the Western World: A Cultural and Historical Introduction — The Pacific Rim and World Politics — Soviet Strategy and the Pacific Basin — U.S. Military and Political Interests in East Asia — China’s Influence in the Pacific Basin — Security in the Pacific Basin: The Role of Japan — Economic Development in the Pacific Rim Countries — Transitions from Less-Developed Country to Advanced Nation Status: Case Studies of the Asia Pacific and Brazil — The Japanese Economy: Consolidation or Continued Expansion? — The Economic Development of the ASEAN Countries — The Economic Development of the Newly Industrialized Countries in East Asia — Economic Relations Between the Pacific Rim and the Western World — Economic Relations Between the European Community and East Asia: Protectionism or Cooperation? — Japan’s Trade and Investment Relations with the European Economic Community — Japan’s Trade and Investment Relations with the United States — Trade Relations of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa with East Asia — Conclusion — The Pacific Rim and the Western World: Conclusions and Perspectives