Rein in at the Brink of the Precipice: American Policy Toward Taiwan and US-PRC Relations [Paperback]

Alan D. Romberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

Rein in at the Brink of the Precipice: American Policy Toward Taiwan and US-PRC Relations draws extensively on the US-PRC negotiating record to assess the issues and dynamics at play on the Taiwan question. While Beijing and Taipei are ultimately responsible for their future relationship, the book argues that American leaders, inattentive to the history and the nuances of normalization, have generated unintended crises – and could do so again. Written by Stimson senior associate and East Asia program director Alan D. Romberg, this study has been hailed as "the definitive work on the evolution of the Taiwan question."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Alan Romberg has written the best history yet published of the role of the Taiwan issue in Sino-American relations." -- Steven M. Goldstein, Sophia Smith Professor of Government, Smith College

"Anyone interested in understanding the most sensitive and explosive issue in US-China relations needs to read this book." -- Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. (USFS, ret.), Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

"This thorough history of US-China dealings on Taiwan reminds us of dangers when wishful thinking supplants analysis and judgment." -- Samuel R. Berger, National Security Advisor (1997-2000)

About the Author

Alan D. Romberg has been at The Henry L. Stimson Center since September 2000, where he is a Senior Associate and Director of the East Asia Program. Prior to that, he spent many years working on US policy issues in East Asia, both in government and in the think tank community. Romberg served as Principal Deputy Director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff (1994-98), Senior Adviser and Director of the Washington Office of the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1998-99), and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy (1999-2000). He was Director of Research and Studies at the United States Institute of Peace in 1994, following almost ten years as C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (1985-1994). He was a Foreign Service Officer from 1964 to 1985, serving in various capacities dealing with East Asia, including as Director of the State Department Office of Japanese Affairs and Staff Member at the National Security Council responsible for China. Romberg was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Deputy Spokesman of the Department from 1981-1985. He has written extensively on US policy, focusing in particular on US relations with the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. His latest book is Rein In at the Brink of the Precipice: American Policy Toward Taiwan and US-PRC Relations (Washington, D.C.: The Henry L. Stimson Center, 2003).

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: The Henry L. Stimson Center (October 1, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 0974725544
• ISBN-13: 978-0974725543
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #987,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)