The Limits of Alignment: Southeast Asia and the Great Powers since 1975

Ciorciari, John D.

ISBN 10: 1589016963 / ISBN 13: 9781589016965

Published by Georgetown University Press, 2010

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Limits of Alignment: Southeast Asia and the Great Powers since 1975
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1589016963
• ISBN 13: 9781589016965
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The Limits of Alignment is an engaging and accessible study that explores how small states and middle powers of Southeast Asia ensure their security in a world where they are overshadowed by greater powers. John D. Ciorciari challenges a central concept in international relations theory―that states respond to insecurity by either balancing against their principal foes, "bandwagoning" with them, or declaring themselves neutral. Instead, he shows that developing countries prefer limited alignments that steer between strict neutrality and formal alliances to obtain the fruits of security cooperation without the perils of undue dependency.

Ciorciari also shows how structural and normative shifts following the end of the Cold War and the advent of U.S. primacy have increased the prevalence of limited alignments in the developing world and that these can often place constraints on U.S. foreign policy. Finally, he discusses how limited alignments in the developing world may affect the future course of international security as China and other rising powers gather influence on the world stage.

About the Author

John D. Ciorciari is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. He was previously a National Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Shorenstein Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Research Center, both at Stanford University.