Rethinking The Pacific

A well-known British specialist on Asia pours cold water on the much touted idea of a Pacific Community. He shows that the Pacific has never been and shows no sign of becoming a coherent political entity and argues that the vital developments taking place there are best understood in a broader global context including the decline of the superpowers, the new paths of development in the Third World, and growing interdependence in the global economy. While it paints a broad picture, the book does not really add any new or challenging insights to newly emerging dilemmas, such as the increasingly troubled U.S.-Japan relationship, which is covered in 12 pages.