New Release: A Western Pacific Union
A Western Pacific Union: Japan's New Geopolitical Strategy (supervised by Kitaoka Shinichi, translated by David Noble and Marie Speed) was just published. This volume is a translation of Nishitaiheiyo rengo no susume: Nihon no 'atarashii chiseigaku' which was originally published by Toyo Keizai in October 2021. The English edition has been slightly updated and revised for English readers.
Led by Dr. Kitaoka Shinichi, former ambassador to the United Nations and former president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, a team of established scholars, younger researchers, and diplomats with a wide-range of diverse backgrounds in academia and government have come together to articulate the concept for a Western Pacific Union: A union of states stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific would counterbalance superpower dominance and give greater agency in global affairs to its members by coordinating their voices and interests.
Over 12 chapters and 5 columns divided into 3 main parts, the book gives a country-by-country treatment of the recent history and international relations of each potential member state and the prospects for its successful involvement in this nascent community of nations.
Our world is increasingly integrated through advanced technologies and global commerce, but in many ways still remains fractious and divided. Finding peaceful, equitable, sustainable solutions to the issues confronting humanity demands new ideas and strategies. This volume addresses these needs with a new geopolitical vision for Asia and the Pacific.
