The Rise of Regions: Conflict and Cooperation

This timely book presents fresh, forward-looking analyses of key regions across the globe, organized around power transition theory. Tracking political and economic trajectories broadly, the contributors use cutting-edge data to forecast general trends in regional politics, economics, and diplomacy. Their collective insights into the likely directions of regional dynamics within a changing global order comprise an invaluable guidebook for forward-thinking readers considering where the world is headed in the coming decades and the implications for strategy, politics, and policy.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures and Tables List of Abbreviations and Acronyms The Power Transition Timeline 1 The Rise of Regions Ronald L. Tammen and Jacek Kugler 2 East Asia: China on the Move Ronald L. Tammen and Ayesha Umar Wahedi 3 East Asia: China’s Campaign to Become a New World Leader Yi Feng, Zhijun Gao, and Zining Yang 4 North America: The Peaceful Region Patrick James and Athanasios Hristoulas 5 Europe: The EU Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Gaspare M. Genna, Birol Yesilada, and Osman Goktug Tanrikulu 6 Europe: Nationalist Dream and the Effects of Zero Migration on Political Power Tadeusz Kugler 7 Eurasia: Russia Plus Kristina Khederlarian, Allison Hamlin, and Jacek Kugler 8 Middle East: Levant Zeyad Kelani, Marina Arbetman Rabinowitz, and Jacek Kugler 9 Middle East: Northern Tier Ali Fisunoglu 10 North Africa: Beyond the Arab Spring Amir Bagherpour and Ashraf Singer 11 Sub-Saharan Africa: Civil Strife Nicholas M. Coulombe and Kristin Johnson 12 South America: Uncertain Voyage Marina Arbetman Rabinowitz and Ayesha Umar Wahedi 13 Northeast Asia: Challenge of Nuclear Deterrence Kyungkook Kang 14 Central Asia: Caught in the Middle J. Patrick Rhamey, Jr. 15 Southeast Asia: Emerging Pacific Contenders Marina Arbetman Rabinowitz and John Thomas 16 South Asia: India the Emerging Global Giant John Thomas and Fredrick Clarke 17 The Regional Setting for Trends in World Politics Jacek Kugler and Ronald L. Tammen Index About the Contributors

About the Author :
Ronald L. Tammen is president of the TransResearch Consortium, professor emeritus at Portland State University, and research fellow at Claremont Graduate University. Jacek Kugler is Elizabeth Helms Rosecrans Professor of World Politics and Political Economy in the School of Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University.

Review :
In this exciting new book, Tammen, Kugler, and colleagues provide a road map for international relations in the coming decades. They anchor their analyses in the latest research about power transition theory and apply that theory to a wide range of regional settings. This is the best book about the prospects for war and peace in the world’s regions and quite possibly the best book about power transition theory itself. The Rise of Regions is a must read for students of international conflict and cooperation, for scholars of international relations theory, and for scholars or practitioners interested in the prospects for regional conflict and cooperation. The authors employ many engaging graphics that make the work accessible to all readers, and consequently, it is appropriate for college courses at any level and will be of interest to non-academics interested in a rigorous and engaging appraisal of what to expect across the world’s regions in the years to come. This timely book is relevant for both scholars and students. At a time of rising and declining major and regional powers, and during a phase in international politics when regional politics have become at least as salient as global politics, this work focuses on the intersection between modern power transition theory and the comparative study of regions. Rigorous scientific comparative analysis of international regions has been in short supply; this effort moves such inquiry forward through both a compatible theoretical framework that makes regional hierarchy a central part of the analysis, and, through its regional case studies, the work provides a roadmap for substantial empirical analysis of conflict and cooperative processes across regions. Ultimately, the book is a timely read as the world grapples with the NATO–Russia tensions in Ukraine—seen as the beginning of a global realignment—and the US–China rivalry in the South China Sea. It will be a useful read for scholars trying to understand regional power transitions and their global implications. The book will keep general readers engrossed and encourage them to reflect on whether the US is willing to go down without a confrontation now that ‘China has risen’ and on the implications of a Sino-Russian alliance to the world order (p. 27).