The Irrationality Of The Fear Of China

First published in 1996, Australia's China explores the multifaceted and dynamic Australian encounter with China from the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 through the Cold War to the Australian recognition of the PRC in 1972. Going beyond conventional policy studies, it traces the patterns in Australian reactions to China from the grass-roots to official circles, highlighting the centrality of images concerning the exotic, disease, sexuality, the frontier, and China as a paradise/anti-paradise. In responding to China, Australians revealed something of themselves, and this book maps the formation of Australian conceptions of identity in the context of a cross-cultural encounter which was variously cooperative, enriching, baffling, and antagonistic. But there was no single Australian conception of China. Rather, competing perceptions jostled in a shifting dialogue.

Philosophies in several ancient traditions aimed to alleviate people's anxieties and improve their lives. In contrast to the contemporay world, in which philosophy is mostly an academic subject and personal concerns are commonly addressed by psychological therapies, philosophy in these traditions often played a central role in programs that aspired to enable people to achieve a good life. In this volume, Christopher W. Gowans argues that the idea of self-cultivation philosophy provides a valuable approach for comprehending and reflecting on several philosophies in ancient India, Greece and China. Self-cultivation philosophies put forward a program of development for ameliorating the lives of human beings. On the basis of an account of human nature and the place of human beings in the world, they claim that our lives can be substantially transformed from what is thought to be a problematic condition into what purports to be an ideal state of being. Self-cultivation philosophies are preeminently practical in their aspirations: their purpose is to change human life in fundamental ways. Yet, in pursuing these practical ends, these philosophies typically make significant theoretical as well as empirical claims about human nature and the world. The book shows how the concept of self-cultivation philosophy provides an interpretive framework for understanding, comparing, assessing and learning from several philosophical outlooks in India, the Greco-Roman world, and China. The self-cultivation philosophies in India are those expressed in: the Bhagavad Gita; the Samkhya and Yoga philosophies of Isvarakrsna and Patanjali; and the teaching of the Buddha and his followers Buddhaghosa and Santideva. The philosophies originating in Greece, with subsequent development in the Roman world, are the most prominent Hellenistic approaches: the Epicureanism of Epicurus, Lucretius, and Philodemus; the Stoicism of Chrysippus, Epictetus, and Seneca; and Pyrrho and the Pyrrhonism of Sextus Empiricus. The self-cultivation philosophies from China are the early Confucian outlooks of Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi; the classical Daoist perspectives of the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi; and the Chan tradition of Bodhidharma, Huineng and Linji. Though these philosophies developed in very different traditions, Gowans shows the connections between them in this compelling work of comparative philosophy.

How did fears of the Cold War shape Australian images of Asia? What was the nature of the Vietnamese revolution, which some 50 000 Australian troops failed to reverse in the 1960s? How did a small and marginal peace movement grow into the powerful Moratorium and did it have any impact on the course of the War? Harvest of Fear is a beautifully craf

Little is known about the political views of non-dissident Chinese intellectuals. For this book, Émilie Frenkiel has been granted unprecedented access to the discussions of politically committed Chinese who have been part of the intellectual debate on post-Tiananmen reform. Her in-depth research elicits lively views that reflect the yearnings and fears of the country’s political elite, and reveal the diversity of approaches to China’s democratisation. 'In the west, where most of us think that democracy based on competitive elections is mankind’s ultimate and inevitable political journey’s end, we tend to hear only the opinions of Chinese who share our beliefs. Émilie Frenkiel’s book gives voice to a large number of prominent Chinese academics, helping us better understand ‒ without reinforcing our prejudices ‒ what that country’s academic elite thinks about their present and prospective political system. This rich, informative and refreshing inquiry will help us view the contemporary political debate in China through less distorted lenses.' Pasquale Pasquino, New York University 'Émilie Frenkiel’s book thoroughly renews our understanding of the Chinese debate on democracy and political reform – a debate often simplistically presented in the West through typologies differentiating ‘liberalism’, ‘new left’ or ‘cultural nationalism’. She studies the biographical itineraries, the works, the modes of involvement in public debate and the relationship with the political authorities of twenty prominent intellectuals, and she uncovers rarely studied realities: how the ‘market of ideas’ works, how to have influence on leaders, and in particular how to spell out acceptable criticisms in the Chinese context. She also originally shows that beyond the diversity of viewpoints, Chinese intellectuals share a technocratic vision of politics, an obsession with the meritocratic ideal and an approach to democracy based on capacity – on the conviction that the Chinese population is not yet up to the task of electing its leaders. A milestone.' Pierre Rosanvallon, Collège de France 'The official political discourse in China is uniform and, to be frank, boring. Over the last three decades, however, Chinese intellectuals have been carrying out fascinating and often heated debates about China's political future. Drawing on extensive interviews with the key players, Émilie Frenkiel brings these debates to light. Thought-provoking and balanced, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to learn more about China's political possibilities.' Daniel A Bell, Tsinghua University, Beijing 'Émilie Frenkiel’s book is fascinating for all scholars that work on, or are interested in, China, but it will also be of interest for political theorists. The debate among Chinese intellectuals – especially political scientists active in the public sphere – shows how they are trying to conceptualise an original path to democracy in the twenty-first century, and demonstrates clearly that beyond the rule of the CCP, the country is moving politically very fast. This provincialises Europe and the USA: part of this debate is highly specific, but another one echoes the search for an answer to the crisis of political representation in Western countries. A book that helps us to better understand the world we live in.' Yves Sintomer, Université Paris

This handbook provides a comprehensive survey of US foreign policy throughout the Indo-Pacific. Home to around 60 percent of the world’s population; most of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies; around half of the world’s states with full nuclear capabilities; and a complicated web of unresolved tensions, disputes, and conflicts, the Indo-Pacific is arguably the most diverse, dynamic, and contested region on Earth. US strategy there has evolved over centuries, with its physical presence going broadly unchallenged since at least the middle of the last century. However, the rapid development and expanding influence of China – alongside the growth of India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and others – as well as political and economic crises and disruptions within the United States itself, mean that in recent times the US has come to occupy a newly uncertain position and perceive a range of highly unfamiliar challenges. To explore how the US has managed, and continues to manage, its regional history, and how it approaches the modern-day landscape of an Indo-Pacific only recently normalised within international political discourse, the book contains 33 newly commissioned chapters from leading experts in the field. It does so partly with help from the more traditional realms of International Relations theory as well as more critical realms. It also unpacks US policy and strategy as it pertains to regional governments, states, and multilateral institutions, as well as to pressing issues including inter-state security, human rights, trade, artificial intelligence, and cyber strategy. It does so in four parts: History of the US in the Indo-Pacific Theorising US Policy and Presence in the Indo-Pacific The US and Indo-Pacific States and Institutions The US and Indo-Pacific Issues The book is designed to be of interest to students and scholars of the US in the Indo-/Asia Pacific; the international relations of the Indo-/Asia Pacific; and US foreign policy.

This is the first in a projected series of volumes of essays selected from World Politics, a journal of international relations sponsored by the Center of International Studies at Princeton University. The articles touch on several related subjects: the nature of national power and power balances and their perception; strategic studies; strategic surprise; the utility of military force; and national security decision making. Originally published in 1983. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.