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Van Jackson's 'Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace'

The Institute for Peace and Diplomacy will host an event examining Van Jackson's latest book, Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace, on February 8, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET. Dr. Jackson is a Senior Lecturer in international relations at the Victoria University of Wellington, a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, and the author of several books including On the Brink and Rival Reputations.

After more than a century of recurring conflict, the countries of the Asia-Pacific region have managed something remarkable: avoiding war among nations. Since 1979, Asia has endured threats, near-miss crises, and nuclear proliferation but no interstate war. How fragile is this “Asian peace,” and what is America’s role in it? In his latest book Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace, Van Jackson argues that because Washington takes for granted that the United States is a force for good, successive presidencies have failed to see how their statecraft impedes more durable forms of security and inadvertently embrittles peace. At times, the United States has been the region’s bulwark against instability, but America has been a threat to Asian peace as much as it has been its guarantor. By grappling with how America fits into the Asian story, Van Jackson shows how regional stability has diminished because of U.S. choices, and why America’s margin for geopolitical error is less now than ever before.

Speaker:
— Van Jackson: Senior Lecturer, Victoria University of Wellington; Distinguished Fellow, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Moderator:
— Bijan Ahmadi: Executive Director, Institute for Peace & Diplomacy

Feb 8, 2023 03:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)