Beijing's grabs for puny islands have alarmed and alienated smaller countries in the region. But Washington doesn't need to “pivot” to Asia–it's been in charge there for decades.

New books by Evan Osnos and Louisa Lim show the profound dissonance between official amnesia and personal recollections of the Tiananmen tragedy.

China … is determined that it will have greater influence than it enjoys at present, and it will use historical justifications to make its case.

“South Africa's moral authority and willingness to play an active role in the world gave it unique leverage with both the global North and the South.” Eighth and final article in a series on soft power around the world.

A struggle looms within Xinjiang's Uighur population between a no-holds-barred, more violent resistance to Beijing and a more assimilationist, peaceful approach that hopes to win greater political autonomy and economic rights. Unfortunately, too often both Beijing's and Western nations' policies toward Xinjiang only strengthen the hard-liners.

Hong Kong has little choice but to try to make the one country, two systems formula work. The alternative is not independence but absorption into the mainland's political system.

By challenging the Chinese to consider not only the accountability of their government, but also issues of openness, trust, responsiveness, and the ‘right to know,’ the sars crisis seems likely to provide a major impetus to new thinking about relations between society and state.

Although the American war on terrorism has altered the regional landscape, “China and Pakistan continue to derive substantial value from their close relationship. For Islamabad, Beijing remains its most steadfast friend in international affairs. United States interest in Pakistan waxes and wanes, but China has proved itself to be in Pakistan's corner over the long haul.”

Many analysts choose to focus on the points of contention between the Asian giants. This is perfectly understandable, for China's industries will grow and compete with Japan's worldwide, and Japan's more assertive military will complicate China's foreign policy goals. But the tensions are only half the story.

China's coercive system still shows a capacity to suppress individuals deemed threatening to the state. Beneath the surface, this system is facing unprecedented challenges to central control, effectiveness, and discipline, all of which could produce a growing crisis of governability for Beijing.

When attempting to bring pressure on Beijing, the United States should stop using vague universal standards or comparisons with the contemporary United States. Washington's criticisms of the Chinese Communist Party should instead build on Beijing's own claims about history and politics.

As the myths surrounding the Tibetan cause are challenged by scholars, emigre leaders may reconsider their claim that an independent Tibet is inevitable. And China's leaders may confront the self-delusion that because the Tibet question will end with the Dalai Lama, a compromise settlement is unnecessary.