Perseus Academic: Pacific Century by Mark Borthwick

The Asia-Pacific region is rapidly emerging as the global economic and political powerhouse of the twenty-first century. Looking at both Southeast and East Asia, this richly illustrated volume stresses broad, cross-cutting themes of regional history, with an emphasis on the interactions between cultures and nations. In this updated third edition, Pacific Century provides a significantly revised introduction, which places the contemporary rise of China within the context of the political, cultural and economic evolution of the region since ancient times. The text then considers more recent developments in their historical context, balancing national and international factors underlying Asia-Pacific economic growth and political change.



New areas receiving attention in the third edition include:

�Japan’s recovery from economic stagnation and the country’s new political landscape;

�China’s economic transformation and leadership in East Asian regionalism;

�The North Korean crisis;

�The Asia-Pacific impact on the global economic system;

�And chronological updates for Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.



Mark Borthwick concludes with an examination of the key domestic and international issues facing the nations of Pacific Asia and the growing influence of these nations on North America and the world economy.

Mark Borthwick is director of the United States Asia Pacific Council at the East-West Center in Washington, DC, and has served on staff of the subcommittee of Asian and Pacific Affairs in the US House of Representatives.