Southeast Asia is a particular microcosm of the US-Chinese rivalry. Today, the competition between the US and China is the most important factor in international relations in the region, and the evolution of the strategic game taking place there is having substantial global consequences. Traditionally, the countries of the region have tried to balance their position among the major powers that determine their role on the international stage. The book scrutinizes Southeast Asia as a collision zone between the two great powers, China and the United States. The author analyzes the opportunities open to Beijing and Washington and what legacies each power’s long history of interactions with the region bear. It also examines how the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) relate to the United States and China and how they maneuver between the two powers, as well as what the future may bring in terms of their emerging rivalry.

The author has a PhD in political science and is a professor at George Washington University. He was voted the second most influential expert on China in the United States by researchers at the Chinese Foreign Affairs University in 2015. Due to its highly readable and at the same time technical character, this book may be useful for both regular and professional readers, who can obtain very useful information on the complex regional presence of the US and China.