Bernard D. Cole (Captain, USN, Retired) is Professor of International History at the National War College in Washington, D.C., where he concentrates on the Chinese military and Asian energy issues. Previously, he served thirty years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, all of them in the Pacific. Cole has written numerous articles and book chapters, as well as four books: Gunboats and Marines: The U.S. Navy in China, The Great Wall at Sea: China's Navy Enters the 21st Century, Oil for the Lamps of China: Beijing's 21st Century Search for Energy, and Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects.

[T]his is a serious text dealing with serious issues….Relying on multiple sources whenever possible, Cole draws his conclusion from a wide range of interviews and data and his text contains a substantial bibliography and is heavily footnoted. Within the book, Cole characterizes energy and the freedom of the seas as very much an international responsibility. And, because Asia contains the world's second and third largest consumers of energy, the book is especially timely in its analysis….[T]his book is very much about securing sea lanes for oil tankers. Readers in America, who depend on this mode of transportation for the vast majority of their energy supplies, may find the text of particular interest. This book deals with it all, in a comprehensive manner.

• DedicationList of FiguresPrefaceList of Abbreviations1 Introduction2 Geography of the Region3 Energy in Asia4 Getting the Oil: Pipelines Ashore5 Getting the Oil: Ships at Sea6 Threats to the Sea Lines of Communications7 Maritime Sovereignty Disputes8 Maritime Strategies in Asia9 Navies of Asia Maritime10 Multilateralism and Maritime Security11 Conclusion: Future ScenariosEndnotesBibliographyIndex

Bernard D. Cole (Captain, USN, Retired) is Professor of International History at the National War College in Washington, D.C., where he concentrates on the Chinese military and Asian energy issues. Previously, he served thirty years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, all of them in the Pacific. Cole has written numerous articles and book chapters, as well as four books: Gunboats and Marines: The U.S. Navy in China, The Great Wall at Sea: China's Navy Enters the 21st Century, Oil for the Lamps of China: Beijing's 21st Century Search for Energy, and Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects.

[T]his is a serious text dealing with serious issues….Relying on multiple sources whenever possible, Cole draws his conclusion from a wide range of interviews and data and his text contains a substantial bibliography and is heavily footnoted. Within the book, Cole characterizes energy and the freedom of the seas as very much an international responsibility. And, because Asia contains the world's second and third largest consumers of energy, the book is especially timely in its analysis….[T]his book is very much about securing sea lanes for oil tankers. Readers in America, who depend on this mode of transportation for the vast majority of their energy supplies, may find the text of particular interest. This book deals with it all, in a comprehensive manner.

• DedicationList of FiguresPrefaceList of Abbreviations1 Introduction2 Geography of the Region3 Energy in Asia4 Getting the Oil: Pipelines Ashore5 Getting the Oil: Ships at Sea6 Threats to the Sea Lines of Communications7 Maritime Sovereignty Disputes8 Maritime Strategies in Asia9 Navies of Asia Maritime10 Multilateralism and Maritime Security11 Conclusion: Future ScenariosEndnotesBibliographyIndex

Bernard D. Cole (Captain, USN, Retired) is Professor of International History at the National War College in Washington, D.C., where he concentrates on the Chinese military and Asian energy issues. Previously, he served thirty years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, all of them in the Pacific. Cole has written numerous articles and book chapters, as well as four books: Gunboats and Marines: The U.S. Navy in China, The Great Wall at Sea: China's Navy Enters the 21st Century, Oil for the Lamps of China: Beijing's 21st Century Search for Energy, and Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects.

[T]his is a serious text dealing with serious issues….Relying on multiple sources whenever possible, Cole draws his conclusion from a wide range of interviews and data and his text contains a substantial bibliography and is heavily footnoted. Within the book, Cole characterizes energy and the freedom of the seas as very much an international responsibility. And, because Asia contains the world's second and third largest consumers of energy, the book is especially timely in its analysis….[T]his book is very much about securing sea lanes for oil tankers. Readers in America, who depend on this mode of transportation for the vast majority of their energy supplies, may find the text of particular interest. This book deals with it all, in a comprehensive manner.

• DedicationList of FiguresPrefaceList of Abbreviations1 Introduction2 Geography of the Region3 Energy in Asia4 Getting the Oil: Pipelines Ashore5 Getting the Oil: Ships at Sea6 Threats to the Sea Lines of Communications7 Maritime Sovereignty Disputes8 Maritime Strategies in Asia9 Navies of Asia Maritime10 Multilateralism and Maritime Security11 Conclusion: Future ScenariosEndnotesBibliographyIndex