David C. Kang is Professor of International Relations and Business at the University of Southern California. He is author of numerous books, including Crony Capitalism: Corruption and Development in South Korea and the Philippines (Cambridge, 2008) and East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute (2012). A regular consultant for US government agencies and the military, he has written for the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, and appears regularly in media such as CNN, BBC, and NPR.

'Balance-of-power theory should predict that the countries of Asia are balancing the rise of China. As David C. Kang argues in this terrific contrarian book, there is only one problem: it is is not true. Kang argues for a picture of the Asia-Pacific that is much more hopeful, with strong prospects for continued peace and prosperity. But Kang's analysis comes with one important qualification: that the United States does not over-reach. Refreshing both for its analysis and for its much-needed policy conclusions.' Stephen Haggard, University of California, San Diego

• 1. Comprehensive East Asian security; 2. The size of the fight in the dog: costly signals in international bargaining; 3. No arms race: military expenditures in East Asia and Latin America; 4. North Korea: costly signals and a willingness to fight; 5. South Korea: desiring good relations with China; 6. Philippines foreign policy: cheap talk about a free ride; 7. Vietnam: who's chasing whom in Vietnam–US relations; 8. Comprehensive security in Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia; 9. Powerful patron: America's changing relations with East Asia; 10. A minimalist American grand strategy towards Asia.

David C. Kang is Professor of International Relations and Business at the University of Southern California. He is author of numerous books, including Crony Capitalism: Corruption and Development in South Korea and the Philippines (Cambridge, 2008) and East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute (2012). A regular consultant for US government agencies and the military, he has written for the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, and appears regularly in media such as CNN, BBC, and NPR.

'Balance-of-power theory should predict that the countries of Asia are balancing the rise of China. As David C. Kang argues in this terrific contrarian book, there is only one problem: it is is not true. Kang argues for a picture of the Asia-Pacific that is much more hopeful, with strong prospects for continued peace and prosperity. But Kang's analysis comes with one important qualification: that the United States does not over-reach. Refreshing both for its analysis and for its much-needed policy conclusions.' Stephen Haggard, University of California, San Diego

• 1. Comprehensive East Asian security; 2. The size of the fight in the dog: costly signals in international bargaining; 3. No arms race: military expenditures in East Asia and Latin America; 4. North Korea: costly signals and a willingness to fight; 5. South Korea: desiring good relations with China; 6. Philippines foreign policy: cheap talk about a free ride; 7. Vietnam: who's chasing whom in Vietnam–US relations; 8. Comprehensive security in Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia; 9. Powerful patron: America's changing relations with East Asia; 10. A minimalist American grand strategy towards Asia.

David C. Kang is Professor of International Relations and Business at the University of Southern California. He is author of numerous books, including Crony Capitalism: Corruption and Development in South Korea and the Philippines (Cambridge, 2008) and East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute (2012). A regular consultant for US government agencies and the military, he has written for the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, and appears regularly in media such as CNN, BBC, and NPR.

'Balance-of-power theory should predict that the countries of Asia are balancing the rise of China. As David C. Kang argues in this terrific contrarian book, there is only one problem: it is is not true. Kang argues for a picture of the Asia-Pacific that is much more hopeful, with strong prospects for continued peace and prosperity. But Kang's analysis comes with one important qualification: that the United States does not over-reach. Refreshing both for its analysis and for its much-needed policy conclusions.' Stephen Haggard, University of California, San Diego

• 1. Comprehensive East Asian security; 2. The size of the fight in the dog: costly signals in international bargaining; 3. No arms race: military expenditures in East Asia and Latin America; 4. North Korea: costly signals and a willingness to fight; 5. South Korea: desiring good relations with China; 6. Philippines foreign policy: cheap talk about a free ride; 7. Vietnam: who's chasing whom in Vietnam–US relations; 8. Comprehensive security in Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia; 9. Powerful patron: America's changing relations with East Asia; 10. A minimalist American grand strategy towards Asia.