James E. Hoare was a member of the British Diplomatic Service from 1969 to 2003, perhaps his most important posting being as the first British representative to Pyongyang in 2001, but he also served at the British Embassies in Seoul and Beijing. Since retirement, he has been an occasional teacher and a writer and broadcaster.

• Acknowledgments East and Southeast Asia Today Map: East, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDA Diversity of People Religious Beliefs Women in Traditional AsiaThe Impact of the WestNationalism, Communism and Revolution Women in Modern East and Southeast AsiaFrom Post-Colonialism to Globalization“Asia and the Climate Crisis”Reprinted with permission of the Association ofAsian Studies from Education About EAST ASIAChinaThe People’s Republic of China Hong Kong Macau Tibet“Tibetan Buddhism” by Jeannine ChandlerTaiwan: Republic of China Japan KoreaThe Republic of Korea (South Korea)South Korea's Rasputin by Mark JihunSukDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)Mongolia SOUTHEAST ASIABrunei Darussalam CambodiaEast TimorIndonesia Laos MalaysiaMyanmar (Burma) Papua New Guinea The Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam WESTERN PACIFICAustralia New Zealand Island Communities of the Western and Southern Pacific Bibliography and Additional Resources