The Cold War in East Asia studies Asia as a second front in the Cold War, examining how the six powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Japan, and North and South Korea—interacted one another and forged the conditions that were distinct from the Cold War in Europe. The contributors are among the foremost historians of the new Cold War history, and this book draws on a wide array of newly available archival information in many languages, with particular strength in the use of Russian and Chinese archival material. The Cold War in East Asia shows how as a second front the Cold War in East Asia influenced the shape of the Cold War's first front—the East-West confrontation centering in Europe—and third front in the developing world.
Each chapter, while focused on particular countries and particular timespans, situates its story within a broad overview. And the volume stresses the uniqueness of the region's historical experience and explains how it serves as the background to some of the key conflicts in East Asia today.
"A studious and scholarly work from many historians and thinkers . . . The Cold War in East Asia, 1945–1991 is a fascinating and scholarly study of the era and its impact that will be felt for many years to come. Highly recommended."—Midwest Book Review
"This edited volume provides a wealth of new information coming from fresh research in Japanese, American, East European, U.S., and Chinese archival and primary sources. This is an important contribution to the state of the field."—Christopher Goscha, Associate Professor of History at University of Quebec at Montreal
"There is, clearly, a real need for a book of this sort and it will doubtless be welcomed by scholars in all of those fields, as well as international/diplomatic historians more broadly and area specialists and comparativists in Political Science."—Robert McMahon, Professor of History at Ohio State University
