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 ... Read morein current cultural studies scholarship.
William Callahan, University of Durham 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.
Jonathan Friedman, directeur d'études, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris; professor of social anthropology, Lund University 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.
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, University of Cambridge Show Less