Fire on the Rim: The Cultural Dynamics of East/West Power Politics [Paperback]

William H. Thornton (Author), Bryan Turner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2002 | ISBN-10: 0742517071 | ISBN-13: 978-0742517073

Beginning where Huntington's Clash of Civilizations ends, Fire on the Rim is a call to action, not fatalism; to cultural dialogue, not militancy. However, in rejecting the entrenched pessimism of cultural realists such as Huntington and Kaplan, William Thornton is equally careful to avoid the teleological optimism of a Francis Fukuyama, Thomas Friedman, or even an Anthony Giddens. He argues that the United States is now paying, in terms of 'blowback,' a long-term price for short-term Cold War and subsequent globalist strategies--mistakes that were chosen, not fated. Yet mending these errors will require nothing less than a paradigm shift in geopolitical (post-New World Order) and geoeconomic (post-neoliberal) thought. Fire instantiates this shift within the specific context of the Pacific Rim. In defiance of ideological convention, it combines a call for social justice, cultural difference, and environmental sustainability with a sober recognition of the need for continued balance of power geopolitics, soft and hard. The author's iconoclastic melding of idealist and realist elements will provoke the Right and Left alike, but his call for moral realism is a vital step toward an Asia policy fit for the twenty-first century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A fascinating and engaged polemic that addresses issues of East Asian politics, especially as they involve the United States. Examining international politics through the optic of cultural relations, the author uses East Asia to develop notions of 'moral realism,' 'cultural realism,' and 'postmodern realism' that are more post-western than anti-western. In this way, he regains a critical edge often lost in current cultural studies scholarship. (William Callahan )

A powerful work as well as a masterful polemic against received interpretations of contemporary East and Southeast Asia. This is a powerhouse of a book that will undoubtedly open a sorely needed debate on the state of the world. (Friedman, Jonathan )

A sustained, eloquent, and combative critique of realism, neorealism, reactionary modernization, and neoliberal globalization. Fire on the Rim will no doubt make its mark on the debates about cultural and civilizational conflicts that are bound to increase and deepen as globalization continues. (International Studies Review )

Fire on the Rim is a fascinating book, grounded in a great deal of knowledge as well as insight. Thornton's contribution to a nuanced understanding of Asian development is timely and important. The book cares about its topic, avoids the glamorous pitfalls of meta-theoretical answers to complex questions, and deserves to be read by policy-makers as well as an academic public. (2005 Theory, Culture & Society )

A compelling blend of astute political analysis based on a detailed understanding of different political regimes and processes in Asia. Fire on the Rim should be read by everybody who has a serious concern with democracy and social justice as necessary preconditions of sustainable economic development. (Bryan Turner )

About the Author

William H. Thornton is professor of literary and cultural theory at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (July 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742517071
• ISBN-13: 978-0742517073
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,382,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.