Asia First

The Trump administration looks to be adopting a more muscular and self-interested security policy in the Asia-Pacific. Confrontational on China: Trump and his advisers have outlined a hard line towards China on most bilateral issues, and view Beijing as an aggressive strategic competitor that needs to be deterred with US strength. Supportive but transactional on allies: the administration will uphold Asian security guarantees at the same time as more strictly scrutinising the US interests at stake. The United States will seek greater burden-sharing and “wins” from allies, including initiatives to create new US jobs. A military-first rebalance: the administration will advance the security elements of President Obama’s “pivot to Asia” while attaching little importance to engagement with Southeast Asia or the rebalance’s original liberal internationalist goals. Changes in US Asia policy will likely produce more volatile relations with competitors, and potentially between Washington and its allies and partners. Instability in US-China relations: Trump’s abrasive policies, particularly on Taiwan, are likely to deepen friction with China and increase the risk of mixed signals and communication breakdowns. Disunity and fragility in the US alliance network: Trump’s “America first” approach to Asia is at odds with the policy preferences and public opinions of most regional allies, creating potential constraints on coordination between Washington and its Asian alliance network. Divergence between Australia and Japan: Japan’s anxiety about being abandoned by the United States may see it rush to embrace Trump’s Asia policy, while Australia’s concern about being entrapped in potential US military endeavours could see it keep some distance from Washington. This may produce opposing dynamics that could weaken bilateral ties and trilateral cooperation. Australia needs to adopt a more active regional security policy to weather these destabilising shifts. It should: Assist the United States in articulating policy priorities on China. Actively work to reduce possible misperceptions between the United States and China. Work multilaterally with Asian allies and partners to communicate shared interests, opportunities, and redlines to President Trump’s cabinet. Coordinate US alliance management strategies with Japan. Build greater resilience into the US Asian alliance network by establishing new trilateral partnerships with Southeast Asia, starting with an Australia-Indonesia-Japan grouping. Assume a more active leadership role in Southeast Asia by independently contributing to a stable and liberal regional order.

This is the first book to examine the role that China played in the evolution of conservatism in postwar America. Historian Joyce Mao shows how, as the Cold War crystallized, political survival demanded that the Right s emphasis on small government be tempered by a proactive foreign policy that could contend with the communist threat. As an alternative to containment, their new platform combined hostility toward the United Nations, assertion of American sovereignty in diplomatic affairs, selective military intervention, strident anticommunism, and the promotion of a technological defense state. These conservative tenets, which are now so familiar to observers of American politics, were articulated in part in debates over US-China relations after WWII. Conservatives invoked the loss of China to critically assess liberal policies and lament what they saw as the corrosion of traditional values. Their insistence that the US take greater interest and action in the Far Pacific was known as the policy of Asia First, and China was its signature issue. The combination of anticommunism and Orientalist paternalism struck a chord with the public. Conservative politicians allied with the growing number of pro-Chiang activists in the private sector and at the grassroots level, revitalizing the party in the process. Mao argues that, although the policy of Asia First had only a minor impact on East Asian affairs, it played a major role in the evolution of American conservatism, and its effects are still being felt today."

This is a book for an extraordinary time, about a pandemic for which there is no modern precedent. It is an edited collection of original essays on Asia's legal and policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, which, in a matter of months, swept around the globe, infecting millions. It transformed daily life in almost every corner of the planet: lockdowns of cities and entire countries, physical distancing and quarantines, travel restrictions and border controls, movement-tracking technology, mandatory closures of all but essential services, economic devastation and mass unemployment, and government assistance programs on record-breaking scales. Yet a pandemic on this scale, under contemporary conditions of globalization, has left governments and their advisors scrambling to improvise solutions, often themselves unprecedented in modern times, such as the initial lockdown of Wuhan. This collection of essays analyzes law and policy responses across Asia, identifying cross-cutting themes and challenges. It taps the collective knowledge of an interdisciplinary team of sixty-one researchers both in the service of policy development, and with the goal of establishing a scholarly baseline for research after the storm has passed. The collection begins with an epidemiological overview and survey of the law and policy themes. The jurisdiction-specific case studies and cross-cutting thematic essays cover five topics: first wave containment measures; emergency powers; technology, science, and expertise; politics, religion, and governance; and economy, climate, and sustainability. Chapter 20: Cambodia: Public Health, Economic, and Political Dimensions by Ratana Ly, Vandanet Hing, & Kimsan Soy is available for free.

A book to read when considering a first visit to Asia, covering more than twenty first-time destinations, each profile covering the country's main highlights as well as its more unusual attractions. Suggested itineraries, online resources, embassy and tourist information are included together with the practicalities of life on the road. The final chapter, Basics, covers contact addresses and websites for everything from backpack suppliers to travel health clinics.

A systematic and up-to-date account of constitutional developments in sixteen Asian countries, including analysis from a comparative perspective.

Over 250 Princeton alumni and friends from 17 countries and from classes spanning a 66-year period attended the Conference. The presentations were of high quality, as can be seen from the proceedings. The speakers and other participants came from different national and cultural backgrounds and represented different points of view. For example, in discussing US-Asia relations James Baker represented an American viewpoint, while in the same session Yoshio Hatano represented a Japanese point of view, as did Toyoo Gyohten in a different session on economic issues. This valuable volume is a collection of frank and insightful essays on Asia-Pacific by notable Princetonians who are influential in the region.

After examining the global system's political volatility at the dawn of the new millenium, the book looks at how some of the identifiable system-wide trends (e.g., globalization, democratization, fragmentation, etc.) may find repercussions in the Asia Pacific. The book also addresses the question of 'comprehensive security', in comparison with other regions, in a wide range of areas subsuming economic security (geoeconomics), environmental security (ecopolitics), and human security. In addition, the book recognizes the idiosyncrasies of the region, such as the defensiveness of most Asian governments toward the protection of their financial markets against external forces following the regional financial crisis of the late 1990s.

The Rough Guide First-Time Asia tells you everything you need to know before you go to Asia, from visas and vaccinations to budgets and packing. It will help you plan the best possible trip, with advice on when to go and what not to miss, and how to avoid trouble on the road. You'll find insightful information on what tickets to buy, where to stay, what to eat, how to stay healthy and save money in Asia. The Rough Guide First-Time Asia includes insightful overviews of 21 Asian countries from Bhutan to Vietnam, Bangladesh to Thailand, highlighting the best places to visit with websites, clear maps, suggested reading and budget information. Be inspired by the 'things not to miss' section whilst useful contact details will help you plan your route. All kinds of advice and anecdotes from travellers who've been there and done it will make travelling stress-free. The Rough Guide First-Time Asia has everything you need to get your journey underway.