Michael J. Green is senior vice president for Asia and Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of Asian studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He served on the staff of the National Security Council from 2001 through 2005.

• Note on Korean, Chinese, and Japanese TermsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionI. The Rise of the United States1. "A Theatre for the Exercise of the Most Ambitious Intellect": Seeds of Strategy, 1784–18602. "How Sublime the Pacific Part Assigned to Us": Precursors to Expansion, 1861–18983. "I Wish to See the United States the Dominant Power on the Shores of the Pacific": Grand Strategy in the Era of Theodore RooseveltII. The Rise of Japan4. "Leave the Door Open, Rehabilitate China, and Satisfy Japan": Defining the Open Door, 1909–19275. "Between Non-resistance and Coercion": The Open Door Closes, 1928–19416. "We Have Got to Dominate the Pacific": Grand Strategy and the War Against JapanIII. The Rise of the Soviets7. "The Overall Effect Is to Enlarge Our Strategic Frontier": Defining Containment in the Pacific, 1945–19608. "Anyone Who Isn't Confused Really Doesn't Understand the Situation": Asia Strategy and Escalation in Vietnam, 1961–19689. "An Even Balance": Nixon and Kissinger's Redefinition of Containment in Asia, 1969–197510. "The President Cannot Make Any Weak Moves": Jimmy Carter and the Return of the China Card, 1977–198011. "To Contain and Over Time Reverse": Ronald Reagan, 1980–1989IV. The Rise of China12. "The Key to Our Security and Our Prosperity Lies in the Vitality of Those Relationships": George H. W. Bush and the Unipolar Moment, 1989–199213. "Engage and Balance": Bill Clinton and the Unexpected Return of Great-Power Politics14. "A Balance of Power That Favors Freedom": Strategic Surprise and the Asia Policy of George W. Bush15. "The Pivot": Barack Obama and the Struggle to Rebalance AsiaConclusion: The Historical Case for Asia StrategyNotesIndexIllustrations

Michael Green's magisterial study is a timely and insightful reminder of the deep and long-standing ties between East Asia and the United States, and the complex interplay between our economic and security interests, and our values, a dynamic which has shaped US policy for two and a half centuries. It is an indispensable point of reference for students and policy makers seeking to understand a critical region where history casts a long shadow, notwithstanding the extraordinary changes of recent years.