East and West Asia in the Twenty-First Century

This introductory chapter overviews the nature and importance of the relations between the Middle East (“West” Asia) and other parts of the Asian continent (“East” Asia) in the early decades of the twenty-first century. It then sets forth the arguments and main questions of this volume. These include the extent and ways that political developments in one region of Asia spill over to the other region; the impact of cross-regional relations in Asia on political and strategic dynamics involving non-Asian third parties; the manner cross-regional relations in Asia expand to new areas of activity; the way states in both regions adapt their policies toward each other; and the extent to which Asian powers regard wielding influence in the Middle East as an end in itself. Finally, this chapter presents the content of the book following its three thematic sections.