By More Than Providence: Grand Strategy and American Power in the Asia Pacific Since 1783 (A Nancy Bernkopf Tucker and Warren I. Cohen Book on American–East Asian Relations)

With North Korea making hot news daily, it is highly useful for citizens (not to mention current policy-makers) to know more about how the United States historically has approached the nations and islands of the Asia Pacific. This book gives a solid and informative overview of U.S. grand strategy as applied to this region of the world, from the inception of our republic through to the end of the Obama Administration.Threads of diplomatic, economic, and military thinking are woven into this account, which has its main focus on Japan, China, Taiwan, and the Korean peninsula. India and Australia are mentioned, but in a glancing way. I found it interesting to learn more about the key American officials and other large personalities over the years who helped set, or clashed over setting, the policies our country has pursued toward this vibrant, complex, and often dangerous policy theatre, one that has often played second fiddle to European affairs.Michael J. Green, the author, is an expert on Japan and also a participant in some of this history from his work in the Bush II Administration.

This book should be crucial reading for anyone who wants to learn about US policy in East Asia. It is the only one of its kind and it covers all major strategic decisions made by the US in East Asia since 1783. Michael Green does a terrific job in explaining just how great the foresight of the founders really was as they thought about East Asia. He also confirms again the foreign policy genius of John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon.

One of the most important books I have come across in recent years related to U.S. policy in the Indo-Asia Pacific region. I thought it was valuable enough that I bought several copies to pass out to my younger colleagues in our office who are up-and-coming experts on U.S. strategy and policy in this critical region of the world.There are a lot of excellent books out there related to this topic. Some very clinical and academic in nature such as John Miksic's book Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/9971695588/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_QONJDbXMJ81Q7) and others more basic and easier to read for non-experts on U.S. policy in the region such as Robert Kaplan's Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific (https://www.amazon.com/Asias-Cauldron-South-Stable-Pacific-ebook/dp/B00G8ELTCK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=asia+cauldron&qid=1569618832&s=gateway&sr=8-1). What I liked about this book is that it struck the right balance with me. Kaplan's book was useful as a summary of the South China Sea history and discussion on policy going forward, but it was not as insightful as I had expected. Miksic's was very insightful on the maritime history and culture of the region but very tedious to read as detailed discussion on beads and ceramics was tough to absorb. For me, Green's book struck the right balance of historical fact mixed with helpful narrative from the U.S. historical perspective. I thought this book was valuable in scoping the complex Indo-Asia Pacific policy puzzle down to a manageable size. More than likely, this may be true only because of all the other reading and studying I have done to this point, but it is precisely because it complements the dozens of other books that I have read that I found it so valuable.It is laid out in a chronological manner, highlighting key strategic adjustments in U.S. policy over the course of more than 200 years, but not surprisingly, there is consistency in what the U.S. has done. While there may be some criticism of the current trend of U.S. strategy (or lack thereof as some may believe), Green seems to imply that the U.S. has weathered each storm and the values and beliefs that underpin U.S. society in general has served the U.S. well. He does provide a warning though that the U.S. should not be complacent and reactionary.I recommend this book for anyone interested in U.S. strategy, U.S. policy in the Indo-Asia Pacific, and U.S. Naval foreign policy and engagement as a subset of broader U.S. foreign policy. I also recommend this book to foreign area officers who want to better understand the role of the U.S. Navy in peacetime.

This is an outstanding book, and serves as a good introduction to the main threads of American foreign policy in Asia. Learnt a lot about the figures that made American foreign policy in Asia. Learnt a lot as well about the roles of the. NSC, State, and Defense in policy making. A solid book for the American side of the Pacific.

The book makes all sense from American building-up to recent changes in pacific "strategy" if any. I found this informative and bibliography gives you a good treasure trove of research materials.

Excellent, highly readable, and the 548 pages really DO fly by. Definitely helpful in understanding what's going on now with the US and China, North Korea, etc.

Extremely well written and researched. I learned so much and genuinely enjoy turning these pages.

This is a solid work of academic excellence, but it is slow and stolid reading. I'm glad I bought it and will eventually finish reading it, but it is certainly not a fast, easy read. I think the author is perhaps a little too sure of their own thinking and tends to present some very complex lines of thinking too quickly and without clarification so my guess is that it was developed after teaching a course and that I would find it easier to read if there were lectures provided.