By More Than Providence

Michael Green's magisterial study is a timely and insightful reminder of the deep and long-standing ties between East Asia and the United States, and the complex interplay between our economic and security interests, and our values, a dynamic which has shaped US policy for two and a half centuries. It is an indispensable point of reference for students and policy makers seeking to understand a critical region where history casts a long shadow, notwithstanding the extraordinary changes of recent years. -- James Steinberg, Syracuse University and former deputy secretary of state With impeccable research and lucid prose, Michael Green provides a first-rate account of the deep historical roots of American grand strategy toward Asia. It is essential for understanding American policy toward a crucial region. -- Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard University, and author of <i>Is the American Century Over? </i> Already a renowned Japan expert, Green combines his regional knowledge with a capacious strategic mind and historical sensibility. This is one of the most impressive books I have ever read. It is consistently original, providing on every page fresh insights immersed in a compelling narrative arc, and it is destined to be a lodestar among scholarship on history, strategy, and statecraft. -- William Inboden, Chair, Clements Center for National Security, The University of Texas, Austin Important and comprehensive study of America's relations with the region. -- Gordon G. Chang * New York Times Book Review * Green set about filling [a] gap in the literature and he has succeeded triumphantly. His book is likely to become the standard work on the subject. -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times * With rich historical records and insightful analysis, this is a fascinating, most useful reference for students and scholars of US-Asia relations and American foreign policy. * Choice * [An] essential guide to understanding U.S. policy in Asia. * Foreign Affairs * Rich and ambitious history of US strategic thinking toward Asia * Los Angeles Review of Books * By More Than Providence provides the greatest value in illustrating how the draw of the Asia-Pacific has been an enduring influence in the United States for nearly two-and-a-half centuries. -- Matthew T. Brundage * Journal of American-East Asian Relations * Green brings scholarly and policymaking credentials to this tour dhorizon. * Imperial & Global Forum * A brilliant and highly readable history of America's evolving grand strategy toward Asia and the Pacific since 1783. * Asian Review of Books * By More than Providence is a gold mine of richly documented historical detail, informed by international relations theory, and enlivened by the hands-on policymakers nose for bureaucratic turf battles, clashing personalities, and Washington intrigue. . . . The Asia-Pacific has long loomed large in American strategic thinking and today its centrality is unparalleled. By More than Providence provides a sweep, power, and coherence that anchors that centrality historically. -- T.J. Pempel * Journal of East Asian Studies * In examining U.S. grand strategy toward the Asia Pacific, he has produced a grand synthesis. * Journal of American History *

Michael J. Green is senior vice president for Asia and Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of Asian studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He served on the staff of the National Security Council from 2001 through 2005.

Note on Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Terms Acknowledgments Introduction I. The Rise of the United States 1. "A Theatre for the Exercise of the Most Ambitious Intellect": Seeds of Strategy, 17841860 2. "How Sublime the Pacific Part Assigned to Us": Precursors to Expansion, 18611898 3. "I Wish to See the United States the Dominant Power on the Shores of the Pacific": Grand Strategy in the Era of Theodore Roosevelt II. The Rise of Japan 4. "Leave the Door Open, Rehabilitate China, and Satisfy Japan": Defining the Open Door, 19091927 5. "Between Non-resistance and Coercion": The Open Door Closes, 19281941 6. "We Have Got to Dominate the Pacific": Grand Strategy and the War Against Japan III. The Rise of the Soviets 7. "The Overall Effect Is to Enlarge Our Strategic Frontier": Defining Containment in the Pacific, 19451960 8. "Anyone Who Isn't Confused Really Doesn't Understand the Situation": Asia Strategy and Escalation in Vietnam, 19611968 9. "An Even Balance": Nixon and Kissinger's Redefinition of Containment in Asia, 19691975 10. "The President Cannot Make Any Weak Moves": Jimmy Carter and the Return of the China Card, 19771980 11. "To Contain and Over Time Reverse": Ronald Reagan, 19801989 IV. The Rise of China 12. "The Key to Our Security and Our Prosperity Lies in the Vitality of Those Relationships": George H. W. Bush and the Unipolar Moment, 19891992 13. "Engage and Balance": Bill Clinton and the Unexpected Return of Great-Power Politics 14. "A Balance of Power That Favors Freedom": Strategic Surprise and the Asia Policy of George W. Bush 15. "The Pivot": Barack Obama and the Struggle to Rebalance Asia Conclusion: The Historical Case for Asia Strategy Notes Index Illustrations