Southeast Asia in the New International Era

Neher (emeritus political science and Southeast Asian studies, Northern Illinois U.) invited his former student Dayley (international political economy and Asian studies, College of Idaho) to co-author the fifth edition of his textbook, which had last been updated just after September 2001. He has added a chapter on Timor-Leste, the region's newest country; gives more attention to the regional affects of the US war on terrorism, political Islam, and the rise of China; and appended a list of resources to each country chapter to encourage students to delve deeper into topics that particularly interest them. The 11 countries are treated in a uniform format that include a map, institutions and social groups, democratization, economic development, the state, and foreign policy. A chapter also considers the region as a whole, pointing out similarities and variation between the countries. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)