Xiaoming Huang - International Relations of East Asia

With exceptional skill and deep understanding of the region, Xiaoming Huang offers a very fine study of international relations in East Asia. Analytically insightful and theoretically rich, this book is highly recommended for all students of East Asian studies: it will have a long lifespan on our bookshelves. East Asian IR have undergone fundamental transformation and the region is exceptionally important for global politics, international security and in predicting future patterns of global governance.

Weixing Hu, University of Macau

This is a much needed and anticipated book on a timely and important topic: the International Relations of East Asia. Huang provides a comprehensive look on the IR of East Asia by thoroughly examining various issues of history, security, geopolitics, political economy, domestic politics, culture, and transitional challenges.

Hun Joon Kim, Korea University

This major new text finally does justice to the field of international relations of East Asia, by highlighting their inherent peculiarities and dynamism. The volume represents an insightful investigation into East Asias acquired centrality in global politics, economy and governance and is a refreshing and powerful contribution. Highly recommended.

Antonio Fiori, University of Bologna

This excellent, comprehensive textbook on international relations of East Asia is written from a truly East Asian perspective and based on many years teaching experience in this field. I recommend it to both undergraduate and postgraduate students new to the region.

Fumihito Gotoh, University of Warwick

In this fascinating book, Xiaoming Huang treats the international relations of East Asia as a distinct subject, and embarks on a theoretically innovative and empirically rich study of its various aspects. Realpolitik, rapid industrial growth, and bifurcated cultural identities are seen as the driving forces behind the IREA, shaping the institutions and international order prevalent in the region, and leading to possible development of a new system. No one can understand the world today, a time of US-PRC competition, without understanding the IREA. Huangs book is a must for such understanding.

Yu-Shan Wu, National Taiwan University

An excellent text which provides a highly readable, comprehensive and theoretically-grounded introduction to the international relations of East Asia. Superbly applying theories of international relations to East Asian practice, Xiaoming Huang illustrates admirably how geopolitical, institutional and civilizational forces have jointly shaped the evolving international order of a region that matters hugely to the future of the world.

Jian Zhang, University of New South Wales, Canberra

International Relations of East Asia is a comprehensive source of knowledge on the patterns and logic of interstate interactions in one of the most important regions of the world. It is unique in that it considers international relations of East Asia as a domain in its own right.

Alexander Korolev, University of New South Wales, Sydney

A remarkable text that brings together both the rich past traditions and most recent scholarship on East Asia to provide a comprehensive survey of the development of the region. The volume integrates the intersecting perspectives of power politics, culture and political economy. The result is a book that will be of central importance and use to students and researchers of the East Asian region for many years to come.

Christopher Hughes, University of Warwick

This well-structured text has excellent teaching strategies and is built on the latest research. It offers a brilliant introduction to the increasingly complex international relations of East Asia and the impact of the events of that region on global affairs.

Niall Duggan, University College Cork

International Relations of East Asia offers a compelling account that captures intelligently the complexity of structural and institutional changes of East Asian international order since the end of World War II. Theoretically informed, it adds valuable alternative perspectives in understanding the dynamics of East Asian international relations today.

Yongjin Zhang, University of Bristol

This is the most comprehensive text on East Asia and its international relations. The book not only examines the topic with a carefully developed theoretical framework, but also explains clearly the complexities of the region. This is a very well written book for readers to understand the past, the present and the future of East Asia.

Jing Men, College of Europe

Structures, Institutions
and International Order

Xiaoming Huang

Xiaoming Huang, under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2020

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I wanted to write a book on international relations of East Asia 25 years ago when I first started teaching the subject at the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, before I moved on to spend a year as a visiting fellow at the Program of International Politics and Economy at the East-West Center in Honolulu. Professor James Rosenau, then at USC, stimulated my interest in the theory and practice of international relations in East Asia or simply in the possibility of such a field of inquiry. Jims intense curiosity, almost like that of a philosopher, inspired me to take this journey of intellectual exploration. Are IREA an instance of how international relations work? Is there a pattern of repeated occurrence of certain types of state action, behavior, and relations in IREA? If so, what shapes such a pattern? Do these forces transcend East Asia? And will the pattern persist?