ABSTRACT
This book explores how national identities interact with democratization in the context of shifting international relations. Coverage ranges from Northeast to Southeast Asia, drawing on frameworks rooted in history, which are tested by recent developments. Studies of the spread of democracy in the Cold War often missed the various dimensions of national identity. Setbacks to inflated expectations for spread of democracy in the 1990s offer lessons for today. By the 2010s, the prospects of democratization had become embroiled with worries about China’s impact and US leadership. The three parts of the book propose frameworks of analysis, draw lessons from five East Asian cases, and look closely at four cases in the late 2010s.
