Description

The monograph illustrates different aspects of profound shifts in the economic, societal, political, and cultural landscapes of Asia. In three thematic blocks, it analyzes the US and the EU’s changing position in East Asia, China’s growing political and economic influence in the world, as well as the evolution of the Japanese democracy. By examining various dimensions of the politics, foreign policies, societies, and economics of selected Asian countries, it contributes to better understanding of a complex mosaic of intertwining interests of global and local powers in the region. A range of studies by Asia scholars stress the sudden rise of the People’s Republic of China, accompanied by a waning position of Western powers in the Asia-Pacific, as well as economic and political stagnation of Japan. While indicating different methods for containing China’s rise instituted by competing powers, as well as the social, humanitarian, political, and economic obstacles against the spread of the Chinese sphere of influence, the authors describe the dynamic changes that occurred on the Asian continent in the last decades.