Asia-Pacific Security An Introduction Editors Joanne Wallis and Andrew Carr (Georgetown University Press 2016 ). The book is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students who are undertaking courses in Asia-Pacific Security Studies. Technical and Academic jargon is avoided to make the subject matter accessible to students of international relations.
The book excels at introducing Asia-Pacific Security Studies to the reader. Each chapter is authored by a academic with expertise in the particular field. In the introduction, Traditional and Non Traditional international relations theories are summarised, and act as a warm start to the book. Through out the book, the terms appear in bold can be found in the glossary.
Two chapters from the book stood out for me. Chapter three entitled: Are Japan and India Potential Members of the Great Power club? by Dr David Envall and Professor Ian Hall captured my attention. Envall and Hall encapsulate the internal and external challenges facing Japan and India, in a informative manner. My own status; self confessed WW2 buff, always transfers my mind across modern day (Commodore Matthew C. Perry arrival to the present day) Japanese history.
Chapter seven Maritime Security – Will Asia's Next War Occur at Sea? Specifically, the table listing disputed territories in the East China Sea and South China Sea, is useful for reference purposes. One of my reading habits is to reference information from books , on a as needed basis.
Among the nations involved in the maritime territorial disputes, the forces of Nationalism burn hotter than the obvious value of the islands in disputed territories. The fires of nationalism bring additional investments in military spending, from the governments involved in the territorial disputes. Chapter seven also takes in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the origins of the maritime territorial disputes, and other aspects relating to the topic.
The book excels at meeting the aim of providing students with a introduction to Asia-Pacific Security studies. The more general reader like me will also find the book useful, gaps in my knowledge are filled in by the contributing scholars/authors. I hope Asia-Pacific Security Studies scholars are empowered to write book titles; taking their cue from the from the chapters in Asia-Pacific Security An Introduction, the future of such book titles looks promising.
