Asian Juggernaut: The Rise of China, India, and Japan

Brahma Chellaney

HarperCollins Publishers, 2006 - China - 348 pages

A Revelatory Narrative Marked By An Incisive And Insightful Analysis Of Asia'S Pivotal Role On The World Stage& A Resurgent Asia Is Now Emerging As The Global Pivot. With The World'S Fastest-Growing Markets, Fastest-Rising Military Expenditures And Most Serious Hot Spots, Asia Holds The Key To The Future Global Order. Underpinning Its Renaissance, Asia Has Become The World'S Economic Locomotive Even As Its Arts, Fashion And Cuisine Regain International Recognition. Yet, With Interstate Competition Sharpening, Asia Faces Complex Security, Energy And Developmental Challenges In An Era Of Globalization, Including How To Move Beyond Historical Legacies And Tap Its Dynamism For Greater Prosperity And Well-Being. The Colossal Shift In Global Geopolitics Presents New Opportunities To Asia And Tests Its Ability To Assume A Bigger Role In International Relations. This Book Examines The Ascent Of Asia By Focusing On Its Three Main Powers China, India And Japan. A Qualitative Reordering Of Power In An Asia Characterized By Tectonic Shifts Is Challenging Strategic Stability And Affecting Equations Between These Powers. How The China Japan, China India And Japan India Equations Evolve In The Coming Years Will Have A Crucial Bearing On Asian And Global Security. Constituting A Strategic Triangle, These Powers Are Asia'S Largest Economies. Their Interests Are Getting So Intertwined That The Pursuit Of Unilateral Solutions By Any One Of Them Will Disturb The Peaceful Environment On Which Their Continued Economic Growth And Security Depend. The Author Analyses The Ramifications Of The Emerging Chinese Colossus. He Also Highlights The Fact That Japan'S Quiet, Undeclared Transition From Pacifism To A 'Normal' State Will Help Shape The Future Of Asian And Global Geopolitics. Even As It Has Reinvigorated Its Military Ties With The United States, Japan Is Beginning To Rethink Its Security And International Role. The Third Major Asian Player, India, Is Coming Of Age By Displaying Greater Realism In Economic And Foreign Policies And Moving Towards Geopolitical Pragmatism. India Now Recognizes That It Can Wield International Power Only By Building Up Its Economic And Military Strength. A Strong China, A Strong Japan And A Strong India Need To Find Ways To Reconcile Their Interests In Asia So That They Can Peacefully Coexist And Prosper. Given That These Powers Have Not All Been Strong At The Same Time Before In History, Stable Political Relationships Between Them Are Central To Asian Security. The Book Sets Out How All States In Asia Could Benefit From Cooperative Approaches In Which China, India And Japan Take The Lead.

What people are saying

User Review -

The book shows the excellent breadth and depth of the author related to issues and its ramifications in international, asian and national arena. The issues pertain mainly to maintaining strategic autonomy, China's aggressive power projection capability, Japan's awakening of independent strategic sense, the results of the increased growth rate of GDP in Asian economies, China's indirect abetment of terrorism by aiding Pakisthan & "left-extermism" etc. He mainly discusses and exposes the weak leadership of India and other nations in front of China. China's dogged perseverance for becoming the "second to none" attitude in the world has opened up lot of security questions to many other Asian states. The covert transfer of arms, nuclear weapons & missiles to Pakisthan, Bangladesh, Burma and Bhutan is given referring from the internationally accepted facts.
The author deals about China with respect to
1. Its annexation of Tibet, the only large buffer between India and China, in 1950
2. Its deliberate attempt to avoid fixing up of the 4000 km Indo China border to use the "strategic pressure" (India and China are the only two nations in the world who do not have a agreed upon border)
3. Nehru's out of the way friendship to China with "Panchasheel", its pretensions of "best friend" attitude and the back stab by invading India in 1962.
4. Its distorting of history books to include the geography which is not part of China historically
5. Almost developing cold war between China and Japan, China and Taiwan
and many more issues.
The other issues like Indo-US nuclear deal which compromises the strategic autonomy of India and indigenous nuclear technology production are also given enough thought and meticulous analysis.
After reading this book, I felt we certainly have a great brain amongst the Indian Strategic Analysts group. But do our governments pay heed to these scholarly work and make grow the nation to its natural potential. We will have to wait and see! 

Contents

• The Asian Renaissance: 1
• Why Asia Is Dissimilar to Europe: 54
• Asian Geopolitics of Energy: 88

About the author

Brahma Chellaney is one of India's leading strategic thinkers and analysts and a well-known television commentator on international affairs. He has written for the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, among others. Presently, he is professor of strategic studies at the Centre for Policy Research, an independent think tank in New Delhi, and a member of the Policy Advisory Group headed by the foreign minister of India.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Asian Juggernaut: The Rise of China, India, and Japan
• Author: Brahma Chellaney
• Edition: 2, reprint
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Oct 13, 2008
• ISBN: 8172236506, 9788172236502
• Length: 348 pages