Soft Power

Download Soft Power PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 0786738960
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (867 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Soft Power by : Joseph S Nye Jr

Download or read book Soft Power written by Joseph S Nye Jr and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2009-04-28 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power" in the late 1980s. It is now used frequently—and often incorrectly—by political leaders, editorial writers, and academics around the world. So what is soft power? Soft power lies in the ability to attract and persuade. Whereas hard power—the ability to coerce—grows out of a country's military or economic might, soft power arises from the attractiveness of a country's culture, political ideals, and policies. Hard power remains crucial in a world of states trying to guard their independence and of non-state groups willing to turn to violence. It forms the core of the Bush administration's new national security strategy. But according to Nye, the neo-conservatives who advise the president are making a major miscalculation: They focus too heavily on using America's military power to force other nations to do our will, and they pay too little heed to our soft power. It is soft power that will help prevent terrorists from recruiting supporters from among the moderate majority. And it is soft power that will help us deal with critical global issues that require multilateral cooperation among states. That is why it is so essential that America better understands and applies our soft power. This book is our guide.

Alliances, Nuclear Weapons and Escalation

Download Alliances, Nuclear Weapons and Escalation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : ANU Press
ISBN 13 : 1760464910
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (64 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Alliances, Nuclear Weapons and Escalation by : Stephan Frühling

Download or read book Alliances, Nuclear Weapons and Escalation written by Stephan Frühling and published by ANU Press. This book was released on 2021-12-14 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In an era of great power competition, the role of alliances in managing escalation of conflict has acquired renewed importance. Nuclear weapons remain the ultimate means for deterrence and controlling escalation, and are central to US alliances in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. However, allies themselves need to better prepare for managing escalation in an increasingly challenging geostrategic and technological environment for the US and its allies. While the challenge of great power competition is acute at both ends of Eurasia, adversary threats, geography and the institutional context of US alliances differ. This book brings together leading experts from Europe, Northeast Asia, the United States and Australia to focus on these challenges, identify commonalities and differences across regions, and pinpoint ways to collectively manage nuclear deterrence and potential escalation pathways in America’s 21st century alliances. ‘Nuclear weapons play an important role in deterrence and preventing military conflict between great powers, while also posing an existential threat to humanity. It is vital that we have a nuanced understanding of this important challenge, so that such weapons are never used. This book offers many important perspectives and makes a significant contribution to the overall debate about these powerful weapons.’ — The Hon Julie Bishop, Chancellor, The Australian National University, Former Foreign Minister of Australia ‘This timely book identifies a wide range of challenges US alliances both in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic face as they seek to ensure the value of US extended deterrence, particular the US nuclear umbrella, against China and Russia. This unique collection of chapters written by experts in US allies in both regions presents widely varying security perceptions and priorities. To understand such differences is the key to globally strengthen the US alliance systems, which are a significant advantage Washington enjoys over the two competitors.’ — Yukio Satoh, former President of The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) ‘This is a timely and thoughtful collection of essays that should serve to jumpstart public discussion and debate—the absence of which is widely noted and much bemoaned. Each contributor examines an aspect of the complicated, multifaceted nuclear debate by discussing the range of dilemmas from deterrence to disarmament. The various views set out here are more relevant than ever as Russia, China and the United States flex their nuclear muscles in new and sometimes dangerous ways. This book should be read by anyone interested in the preventing the use of nuclear weapons and understanding complexities of alliances in an increasingly dangerous world.’ — Madelyn Creedon, former Principal Deputy Administrator of the US National Nuclear Security Administration and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs

Soft Power and Great-Power Competition

Download Soft Power and Great-Power Competition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 9819907144
Total Pages : 187 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (199 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Soft Power and Great-Power Competition by : Joseph S. Nye

Download or read book Soft Power and Great-Power Competition written by Joseph S. Nye and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-04-26 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book consists of essays selected from Joseph S. Nye, Jr.’s last three decades of writing and illustrate a variety of perspectives on the nature of power, the role of the United States in the world and US-China relations. Through this collection, it is hoped that readers will gain a better understanding of today’s global environment and find that while great power competition may be inevitable in a world as centers of power shift, cooperating to address transnational challenges can be a positive sum game. The contents of this book are divided into four main parts. Part One discusses the origins and political progress of the concept of “Soft Power”. Part Two explores soft power in the American experience, its sources and interaction with US foreign policy, as well as its ebb and flow in the age of Obama, Trump and Biden. Part Three examines the rise of and the opportunities and difficulties for Chinese soft power, focusing on China’s investment in soft power and how this demonstrates its commitment to a peaceful rise. However, it also addresses the question of how can China get “smart” on how it uses soft power. Part Four provides a bird’s-eye view of power shifts in the 21st century and the interactions between the US as an established power and China as a rising power, while also reassuring readers that Thucydidean fears are unnecessary and a Cold War is avoidable. Both countries have to realize that some forms of power must be exercised with others, not over others, the development of soft power need not be a zero-sum game. Ultimately, the US-China relationship is a “cooperative rivalry” where a successful strategy of “smart competition” is necessary and cooperation on transnational challenges like climate change, pandemics, cyberterrorism and nuclear proliferation, will serve to benefit not only China and the US, but the world as a whole.

Strategic assessment 2020

Download Strategic assessment 2020 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780996824958
Total Pages : 367 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (249 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Strategic assessment 2020 by : Thomas F. Lynch III

Download or read book Strategic assessment 2020 written by Thomas F. Lynch III and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Great Power Competition

Download Great Power Competition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (968 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Great Power Competition by : Mahir J Ibrahimov

Download or read book Great Power Competition written by Mahir J Ibrahimov and published by . This book was released on 2021-01-18 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: November 2020 Great Power Competition: The Changing Landscape of Global Geopolitics is a collection of essays originating from the Cultural and Area Studies Office of the Combined Arms Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Editor Mahir J. Ibrahimov has culled together an expansion of his previous volume, Cultural Perspectives, Geopolitics, & Energy Security of Eurasia: Is the Next Global Conflict Imminent? In this volume, experts consider cultural and geopolitical implications of Chinese and Russian power projections throughout Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. Why buy a book you can download for free? We print the paperback book so you don't have to. First you gotta find a good clean (legible) copy and make sure it's the latest version (not always easy). Some documents found on the web are missing some pages or the image quality is so poor, they are difficult to read. If you find a good copy, you could print it using a network printer you share with 100 other people (typically its either out of paper or toner). If it's just a 10-page document, no problem, but if it's 250-pages, you will need to punch 3 holes in all those pages and put it in a 3-ring binder. Takes at least an hour. It's much more cost-effective to just order the bound paperback from Amazon.com We include a Table of Contents on the back cover for quick reference. We print these paperbacks as a service so you don't have to. The books are compact, tightly-bound paperback, pocket-size (6 by 9 inches), with large text and glossy cover. 4th Watch Publishing Co. is a SDVOSB. https: //usgovpub.com

Renewed Great Power Competition

Download Renewed Great Power Competition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781688018983
Total Pages : 42 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (189 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Renewed Great Power Competition by : Ronald O'Rourke

Download or read book Renewed Great Power Competition written by Ronald O'Rourke and published by . This book was released on 2019-08-22 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World events in recent years have led observers, particularly since late 2013, to conclude that the international security environment in recent years has undergone a shift from the post-Cold War era that began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, also sometimes known as the unipolar moment (with the United States as the unipolar power), to a new and different situation that features, among other things, renewed great power competition with China and Russia and challenges by these two countries and others to elements of the U.S.-led international order that has operated since World War II. The shift to renewed great power competition has become a major factor in the debate over future U.S. defense spending levels, and has led to new or renewed emphasis on the following in discussions of U.S. defense strategy, plans, and programs: * grand strategy and geopolitics as part of the context for discussing U.S. defense budgets, plans, and programs; * nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence;* new U.S. military service operational concepts;* U.S. and NATO military capabilities in Europe;* capabilities for conducting so-called high-end conventional warfare (i.e., largescale, high-intensity, technologically sophisticated warfare) against countries such as China and Russia; * maintaining U.S. technological superiority in conventional weapons;* speed of weapon system development and deployment as a measure of merit in defense acquisition policy;* mobilization capabilities for an extended-length large-scale conflict against an adversary such as China or Russia;* minimizing reliance in U.S. military systems on components and materials from Russia and China; and* capabilities for countering so-called hybrid warfare and gray-zone tactics employed by countries such as Russia and China.

The Great Power Competition Volume 2

Download The Great Power Competition Volume 2 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9783030903893
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (38 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Great Power Competition Volume 2 by : Adib Farhadi

Download or read book The Great Power Competition Volume 2 written by Adib Farhadi and published by Springer. This book was released on 2022-03-09 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Region has faced numerous obstacles to building a stable and prosperous future. The region, which encompasses the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia, has been beset, especially in post-conflict and fragile areas, by uncertainty as recent decades have brought dramatic shifts in the global system. Challenges to the modern nation-state system, the emboldening of individuals and groups through the advances of the digital age, and the intensification of the great power competition among the U.S., China, and Russia for influence have all provided fertile ground for violent extremist organizations (VEOs) to take advantage of vulnerable, aggrieved, and traumatized populations to fuel radicalization, recruitment, and unrest. Exacerbating the instability in some parts of the Central Region has been the influx of an unprecedented number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, particularly in Afghanistan and Syria, inflaming the many social and ethnic cleavages that underpin regional instability. Layered on top of these concerns are sophisticated efforts by regional and global powers to wield economic, security, religious, and cultural levers of power to influence and shape population groups across the region. With the pandemic now exacerbating the stresses in this already fragile region, the U.S.’s strategic objectives are rife for re-examination. While it is still early to understand how the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic will impact U.S. interests, objectives, and capabilities in the Central Region, this book will consider how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact the U.S. military readiness, reach, and effectiveness there. The book will expand current considerations of popular radicalization and information to explore the threats and opportunities posed by the U.S. response to the pandemic across key challenges in the region. Key themes include the Great Power Competition, popular unrest, violent extremism, information and influence operations, and new capabilities for recognizing and preparing for other such black swan events.

Do Morals Matter?

Download Do Morals Matter? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0190935960
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (99 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Do Morals Matter? by : Joseph S. Nye

Download or read book Do Morals Matter? written by Joseph S. Nye and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the role of ethics in American foreign policy? The Trump Administration has elevated this from a theoretical question to front-page news. Should ethics even play a role, or should we only focus on defending our material interests? In Do Morals Matter? Joseph S. Nye provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of how modern American presidents have-and have not-incorporated ethics into their foreign policy. Nye examines each presidency during theAmerican era post-1945 and scores them on the success they achieved in implementing an ethical foreign policy. Alongside this, he evaluates their leadership qualities, explaining which approaches work and which ones do not.

The Return of Great Power Rivalry

Download The Return of Great Power Rivalry PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0190080248
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Return of Great Power Rivalry by : Matthew Kroenig

Download or read book The Return of Great Power Rivalry written by Matthew Kroenig and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book seeks to answer to a central international politics: why do great powers rise and fall? It provides an innovative argument about how domestic political institutions are the key to a state's ability to amass power and influence in the international system. This text also offers a sweeping historical analysis of democratic and autocratic competitors from ancient Greece through the Cold War. This book employs a unique framework to understand and analyze the state of today's competition between the democratic United States and its autocratic competitors, Russia and China.

The MENA Region: a great power competition

Download The MENA Region: a great power competition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Ledizioni
ISBN 13 : 8855260731
Total Pages : 173 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (552 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The MENA Region: a great power competition by : AA.VV

Download or read book The MENA Region: a great power competition written by AA.VV and published by Ledizioni. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The volume deals with competition among regional and external players for the redistribution of power and international status in the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on Russia’s renewed role and the implications for US interests. Over the last few years, a crisis of legitimacy has beset the liberal international order. In this context, the configuration of regional orders has come into question, as in the extreme case of the current collapse in the Middle East. The idea of a “Russian resurgence” in the Middle East set against a perceived American withdrawal has captured the attention of policymakers and scholars alike, warranting further examination. This volume, a joint publication by ISPI and the Atlantic Council, gathers analysis on Washington’s and Moscow’s policy choices in the MENA region and develops case studies of the two powers’ engagament in the countries beset by major crises.

Bound to Lead

Download Bound to Lead PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0465094163
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (65 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Bound to Lead by : Joseph S Nye Jr

Download or read book Bound to Lead written by Joseph S Nye Jr and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is America still Number 1? A leading scholar of international politics and former State Department official takes issue with Paul Kennedy and others and clearly demonstrates that the United States is still the dominant world power, with no challenger in sight. But analogies about decline only divert policy makers from creating effective strategies for the future, says Nye. The nature of power has changed. The real-and unprecedented-challenge is managing the transition to growing global interdependence.

Soft Power

Download Soft Power PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Lexington Books
ISBN 13 : 0739133799
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (391 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Soft Power by : Mingjiang Li

Download or read book Soft Power written by Mingjiang Li and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2009-08-15 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soft power has become a very popular concept in international affairs, appearing in government policy papers, academic discussions, and the popular media. In China, soft power has become one of the most frequently used phrases among political leaders, leading academics, and journalists. Defined against hard power, which often involves threat and coercion, soft power applies attraction, persuasion, and cooperation, finding its sources in culture, political values, and foreign policies. China, rich in culture and traditional philosophy, boasts abundant sources of soft power. Soft Power attempts to analyze the domestic and international views of China's soft power, the main strengths and weaknesses of China's soft power, and the application of soft power in China's international politics. It provides a comprehensive exploration of the soft power dimension in China's foreign relations by integrating views from various disciplines, such as history, education, culture, political economy, comparative politics, and philosophy. The book argues that soft power has become a very popular concept in China, that China is contemplating and exploring an innovative strategy in its rise and international politics, and that there have been quite a few notable elements of this in China's diplomatic practice, including softer rhetoric, promotion of the Chinese culture abroad, economic diplomacy, and image building. The book also argues that the limitations of China's soft power primarily stem from political values and China's own transitions, and reflects the reality that views and opinions regarding China's soft power are fairly diverse both in China and in the international arena.

Military Statecraft and the Rise of Shaping in World Politics

Download Military Statecraft and the Rise of Shaping in World Politics PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1538150654
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (381 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Military Statecraft and the Rise of Shaping in World Politics by : Kyle J. Wolfley

Download or read book Military Statecraft and the Rise of Shaping in World Politics written by Kyle J. Wolfley and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-06-29 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Andrew F. Krepinevich Writing Award A 2022 Choice Reviews Outstanding Academic Title Selected for the Irregular Warfare Initiative’s Inaugural Reading List (2022) In today’s complex international environment, how do the United States, China, and Russia manage the return of great power competition as well as the persistent threat of violent non-state actors? This book explores "shaping": the use of military power to construct a more favorable environment by influencing the characteristics of other militaries, altering the relationships between them, or managing the behavior of allies. As opposed to traditional strategies of warfighting or coercion, shaping relies less on threats, demonstrations, and uses of violence and more on attraction, persuasion, and legitimacy. Because shaping relies more on soft power than on hard power, this approach contradicts the conventional wisdom of the purpose militaries serve. Kyle J. Wolfley explores the emergence of shaping in classical strategy and its increased frequency following the end of the Cold War when threats and allies became more ambiguous. He illustrates the four logics of shaping—attraction, socialization, delegation, and assurance—through five case studies of recent major military exercise programs led by the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Moreover, the author reveals through sentiment analysis and statistics of over one thousand multinational exercises from 1980 to 2016 how major powers reacted to a complex international environment by expanding the number and scope of shaping exercises. Illuminating an understudied but surprisingly common tool of military statecraft, this book offers a fresh understanding of military power in today's competitive international system.

Soft Power in Central Asia

Download Soft Power in Central Asia PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1793650780
Total Pages : 293 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (936 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Soft Power in Central Asia by : Kirill Nourzhanov

Download or read book Soft Power in Central Asia written by Kirill Nourzhanov and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Central Asia often evokes images of imperial power rivalry dating back to the 19th century. Yet as the region’s international politics becomes more complex in the age of globalization, the need for new ways of looking at its many actors is more pressing than ever. Today even the traditional great powers rely increasingly on subtle forms of influence to augment their military might and economic clout in order to achieve their objectives in Central Asia. Bearing this in mind, Soft Power in Central Asia examines the patterns of attraction and persuasion that help shape the political choices of countries in the region. Starting with an investigation of soft power projection by the US, Russia and China, it sheds light on normative transfer and public diplomacy of the European Union, Turkey and Israel, and concludes with a discussion of the Central Asian republics’ active stance in the competition for the hearts and minds. Containing original chapters contributed by leading experts in the field, the volume will appeal to scholars and professionals with interest in international relations, political science and Central Asian studies.

Structure, Audience and Soft Power in East Asian Pop Culture

Download Structure, Audience and Soft Power in East Asian Pop Culture PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Hong Kong University Press
ISBN 13 : 9888139037
Total Pages : 199 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (881 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Structure, Audience and Soft Power in East Asian Pop Culture by : Beng Huat Chua

Download or read book Structure, Audience and Soft Power in East Asian Pop Culture written by Beng Huat Chua and published by Hong Kong University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: East Asian pop culture can be seen as an integrated cultural economy emerging from the rise of Japanese and Korean pop culture as an influential force in the distribution and reception networks of Chinese language pop culture embedded in the ethnic Chinese diaspora. Taking Singapore as a locus of pan-Asian Chineseness, Chua Beng Huat provides detailed analysis of the fragmented reception process of transcultural audiences and the processes of audiences’ formation and exercise of consumer power and engagement with national politics. In an era where exercise of military power is increasingly restrained, pop culture has become an important component of soft power diplomacy and transcultural collaborations in a region that is still haunted by colonization and violence. The author notes that the aspirations behind national governments' efforts to use popular culture is limited by the fragmented nature of audiences who respond differently to the same products; by the danger of backlash from other members of the importing country's population that do not consume the popular culture products in question; and by the efforts of the primary consuming country, the People's Republic of China to shape products through co-production strategies and other indirect modes of intervention.

The Big Stick

Download The Big Stick PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0465096573
Total Pages : 306 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (65 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Big Stick by : Eliot A. Cohen

Download or read book The Big Stick written by Eliot A. Cohen and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2017-01-03 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Speak softly and carry a big stick" Theodore Roosevelt famously said in 1901, when the United States was emerging as a great power. It was the right sentiment, perhaps, in an age of imperial rivalry but today many Americans doubt the utility of their global military presence, thinking it outdated, unnecessary or even dangerous. In The Big Stick, Eliot A. Cohen-a scholar and practitioner of international relations-disagrees. He argues that hard power remains essential for American foreign policy. While acknowledging that the US must be careful about why, when, and how it uses force, he insists that its international role is as critical as ever, and armed force is vital to that role. Cohen explains that American leaders must learn to use hard power in new ways and for new circumstances. The rise of a well-armed China, Russia's conquest of Crimea and eastern Ukraine, nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran, and the spread of radical Islamist movements like ISIS are some of the key threats to global peace. If the United States relinquishes its position as a strong but prudent military power, and fails to accept its role as the guardian of a stable world order we run the risk of unleashing disorder, violence and tyranny on a scale not seen since the 1930s. The US is still, as Madeleine Albright once dubbed it, "the indispensable nation."

Rivalry and Response

Download Rivalry and Response PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 081573915X
Total Pages : 204 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Rivalry and Response by : Jonathan R. Stromseth

Download or read book Rivalry and Response written by Jonathan R. Stromseth and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2021-02-16 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " Southeast Asia has become a hotbed of strategic rivalry between China and theUnited States. China is asserting its influence in the region through economic statecraft and far-reaching efforts to secure its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, while the United States has promoted a Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy that explicitly challenges China's expanding influence—warning other countries that Beijing is practicing predatory economics and advancing governance concepts associated with rising authoritarianism in the region. In this timely volume, leading experts from Southeast Asia, Australia, and the United States assess these great power dynamics by examining the strategic landscape, domestic governance trends, and economic challenges in Southeast Asia, with the latter focusing especially on infrastructure. Among other findings, the authors express concern that U.S. policy has become too concentrated on defense and security, to the detriment of diplomacy and development, allowing China to fill the soft power vacuum and capture the narrative through its signature Belt and Road Initiative. The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the policy challenges for Washington as China recovers faster from the outbreak, reinforcing its already advantaged economic position and advancing its strategicgoals as a result. As the Biden administration begins to formulate its strategy for the region, it would do well to consider these findings and the related policy recommendations that appear in this volume. Much is at stake for U.S. foreign policy and American interests. Southeast Asia includes two U.S. allies—Thailand and the Philippines—important security partners like Singapore, and key emerging partners such as Vietnam and Indonesia. Almost 42,000 U.S. companies export to the 10 countries that comprise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), supporting about 600,000 jobs in the United States, but America's economic standing is increasingly at risk. "