Where Great Powers Meet

David Shambaugh's Where Great Powers Meet is a fine contribution to a spate of recent books focusing on China, Southeast Asia, and the US. His work is arguably the most policy and foreign policy (narrowly defined) oriented. * David Bachman, University of Washington, Seattle, Pacific Affairs *
The book provides food for thought for countries elsewhere as they manage relations with the two competing great powers while protecting their own national interests. Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. General readers. * Z. Zhu, Bucknell University, CHOICE *
Shambaugh's book makes a very important contribution on this critical issue in Australia's neighbourhood... and should be required reading for all Asia-watchers. * John West, Australian Institute of International Affairs *
What does great power rivalry mean? David Shambaugh provides an engaging and readable account of how the US-China competition is playing out in its Southeast Asian epicenter.One could not ask for a more thoughtful and experienced guide to this fraught relationship. * Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump *
This timely book on Southeast Asia by a leading American Asia specialist belongs on the desk of every senior US official involved with foreign policy and national security. As US-China rivalry intensifies, the strategic significance of Southeast Asia is also shooting upward. In recent decades the region's economic vibrancy and cooperative relationships have made it a global success story. Now its geographic location is assuming ever greater importance. This book explains why. Deeply researched, it is loaded with background information and astute assessments that should inform the thinking of all those concerned about the future role of the United States in a rapidly changing world. * J. Stapleton Roy, Wilson Center, former US ambassador to Singapore, China, and Indonesia *
Distinguished China scholar David Shambaugh has produced a timely and well-conceived treatment of the battle for influence between the United States and China that is raging across Southeast Asia. With firsthand accounts and deep insights, he has provided a deeply incisive and troubling narrative of a struggle that too often tilts towards Beijing. Current, deeply relevant and powerfully presented, Shambaugh's book lands like a piece of ordnance in a firefight — with a big blast. A must read for anyone seeking to understand the contest for primacy playing out in Southeast Asia. * Hon. Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia & Pacific; Chairman & CEO of The Asia Group *
Where Great Powers Meet is about the New Great Game — Sino-American competition in Southeast Asia. David Shambaugh has combined his deep understanding of China, experience in US government with his new immersion in ASEAN to produce a perceptive, balanced and comprehensive study on this dynamic rivalry. He has succinctly captured the nuances in the thinking and responses of the ASEAN states. This book is essential reading for those who wish to make sense of the changing geopolitics of Southeast Asia. * Hon. Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador-at-Large and Chairperson, ISEAS- Yusof-Ishak Institute, Singapore *
Blending historical context with an incisive analysis of current developments and policy prescriptions, David Shambaugh's new book should be read by anyone — from academia or the policy world — who seeks to understand Southeast Asia's crucial role in shaping US-China relations and the 21st century world order. * Amitav Acharya, American University, Washington, D.C. *
The book offers not just an overall accessible and well-informed overview of the role played by Southeast Asia in the US-China competition but also stimulating insights into the dynamics within this triangular set of relations. In content and style, it is also well-positioned to serve as complementary material for teaching on Asian politics, the US and China's foreign policy, as well as Sino-US relations on both higher undergraduate and postgraduate levels. * Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography *