East Asia and the Modern International Order

Historians and IR specialists re-examine fourteen events in twentieth-century East Asian history that shaped world and regional politics.

Stephan Haggard and David C. Kang bring together historians and political scientists to re-examine fourteen events in twentieth-century East Asian history that shaped world and regional politics. Case studies highlight the East Asian experience of empire, war and independence movements and shed light on contemporary international relations.This crucial interdisciplinary work brings together historians and international relations specialists to re-examine fourteen events in twentieth-century East Asia that shaped world and regional politics. In a series of case studies framed by conceptual essays the authors examine key moments and their wider significance, including the Chinese Exclusion Acts in the United States; the Japanese racial equality proposal at the Versailles conference of 1919; anti-colonial movements in Southeast Asia before 1945; and the changing nature of sovereignty in the Pacific Islands. The authors decenter the Cold War in Asia away from American and European perspectives and examine how countries in the region positioned themselves given distinctive domestic coalitions. These historical examples demonstrate the unique East Asian experience of war, empire, and political independeence, shedding valuable light on contemporary international relations and the challenges faced in Asia-Pacific today.