Source: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Asia has already risen by most hard-power measures. But without an understanding of the downsides of Asia’s rise, the conventional narrative is incomplete, misleading, and inaccurate.

Chung Min Lee explores the fundamental dichotomy that defines contemporary Asia. While the region has been an unparalleled economic success, it is also home to some of the world’s most dangerous, diverse, and divisive challenges. Contrary to prevailing wisdom, he says, Asia’s rise doesn’t mean the demise of the West.

Advance Praise

“Is Asia ready for the Asian century? Chung Min Lee’s thought-provoking new book raises serious questions about whether Asia’s fragile political structures and fraught geopolitics can sustain global leadership. An important corrective to current jeremiads in America about its own decline and the remorseless rise of the East.”
—Simon Long, Banyan columnist, Economist

“Chung Min Lee—with clarity and tremendous skill—illustrates the political and military challenges that the rise of Asia has brought upon the region.”
—Kiichi Fujiwara, University of Tokyo