Book review : Asian rivalries : conflict, escalation, and limitations on two-level games

This theoretically sophisticated, nuanced volume focuses on "interstate rivalries"-or the relationships between two states in which the antagonistic decision-makers perceive each other as competitors and see their adversaries as threatening enemies. Expertly drawing on examples from Asia, Ganguly and Thompson (both, Indiana Univ., Bloomington) address three related questions: "(1) What is the mix of internal (domestic politics) and external (interstate politics) stimuli in the dynamics of their rivalries? (2) In what types of circumstances do domestic politics become the predominant influence on rivalry dynamics? and (3) When domestic politics become predominant, is their effect more likely to lead to the escalation or de-escalation of rivalry hostility?" The case studies covering all regions of Asia make for compelling reading. The rich insights illuminate new and creative ways to look at interstate rivalries. This excellent volume is most timely and should be required reading for policy makers, diplomats, and scholars of international relations theory.