Slowly but surely, the United States is waking up to the profound changes afoot in the structure of global power. The rise of China is one sign of this shift, but it is only part of a much bigger process: As the authors of this impressive survey argue, "the geopolitical map of the world is being reshaped."
Trust that judgment. You would be hard-pressed to find two sharper observers of the forces at work. Morton Abramowitz served as U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Thailand, and held other senior positions at the Departments of State and Defense. Stephen Bosworth was ambassador to South Korea, the Philippines and Tunisia, and also served in various senior positions at the State Department. In addition to knowledge and insight gained from their long careers working in the region, the two spent weeks traveling throughout Asia for this book, interviewing hundreds of people about trends, issues and concerns.
The result is an engaging, slim volume -- "just the right length for a flight across the Pacific," explained Bosworth -- that identifies "the new realities" of Asia and calls for increasing U.S. attention to the region and its complexities. The writing is breezy, but the thinking is never superficial.