Powerplay

Victor D. Cha holds the D. S. Song-Korea Foundation Chair in Government and is the director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University. He is also senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, and formerly served as director of Asian Affairs on the White House National Security Council. His previous award-winning books include The Impossible State and Alignment Despite Antagonism.

• List of Illustrations and Tables ix Preface xi A Note to the Reader xv 1 The Puzzle 1 2 The Argument: Powerplay 19 3 Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia 40 4 Taiwan: "Chaining Chiang" 65 5 Korea: "Rhee-Straint" 94 6 Japan: "Win Japan" 122 7 Counterarguments 161 8 Conclusion: US Alliances and the Complex Patchwork of Asia's Architecture 185 Notes 221 Bibliography 293 Index 323

"Powerplay is an illuminating and important book that should help to guide policy makers as they try to cope with the greatest challenge to the American alliance system in Asia since it was created some seven decades ago: the rise of a power, China, that wants to shake it up."--Richard Bernstein, Wall Street Journal "Cha has embedded a lively narrative of post-World War II diplomatic history inside a thought-provoking analytic framework."--Andrew Nathan, Foreign Affairs "Masterful... Deft and seamless mixture of theory, historical analysis, and policy prescription."--Ben Rimland, Washington Free Beacon "Cha's Powerplay demonstrates an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge, solid research, and accessible analysis. It is an excellent backgrounder for context on the history and evolution of U.S. alliances in Asia... Powerplay successfully answers its central question: Why aren't America's Asian alliances built the same as in Europe?"--Daniel Runde, Foreign Policy