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East Asian Security: An International Security Reader

Edited by Michael E. Brown, Sean M. Lynn-Jones, and Steven E. Miller
Reviewed by By Donald Zagoria
March/April 1997
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Edited by Michael E. Brown, Sean M. Lynn-Jones, and Steven E. Miller
MIT Press
1996
351 pp.
$18.00

This volume is an attractively priced collection of essays on East Asian security, all of which originally appeared in International Security. Many have already been frequently cited in the rapidly growing literature on East Asia. Some, such as those by Richard Betts and Aaron Friedberg, explore the overall prospects for war, peace, and stability in East Asia. Others, such as the chapter by Desmond Ball, present a comprehensive view of the arms buildup in the region. Still others discuss aspects of Chinese and Japanese security and foreign policies. There is, for example, a very informative review of Chinese perspectives on nuclear arms control by Banning N. Garrett and Bonnie S. Glaser. And Thomas U. Berger contributes an especially valuable discussion of Japanese security policy explaining why it is highly unlikely that Japan will set out to become a military superpower. The volume should be especially useful in courses dealing with East Asian security issues.

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