East Asia

China, a challenge that looms large, is often depicted as a menacing force to be met with confrontation and containment. In some circles, there is even talk of an inevitable or imminent conflict. The Chinese Communist Party is often cast as a unique axis of evil, a threat to liberal democracies and emerging democracies in Asia and beyond. The Belt and Road Initiative, a sprawling infrastructure project that spans continents, is viewed with suspicion, seen either as a tool for economic subjugation or a pathway to conquest. What if this need not be the case? What if we were to calmly assess, ...

“Great Tits I’ve Known (And Other Species)” is the new edition of “Collected Selected Words” and is a combination of travel, memoir, autobiography and fiction, taking in three countries on its travels. It is also a book for ornithologists. Its humour and satire travel the world even ending up on the island of Cuba. Cambodia makes an appearance, too, and its hornbills get noisy. Overshadowing the book are the grim islands of Great Britain and the long Italian peninsular, but undaunted Jonathan Finch sings a song few birds can sing which embraces Thailand and especially Pattaya and ...

The key to understanding the calamitous Afghan war is the complex, ultimately failed relationship between the powerful, duplicitous Karzai family and the United States, brilliantly portrayed here by the former Kabul bureau chief for The Washington Post.

This account of Muammar Gaddafi takes us to his rise to power, to the moments when he was in the spotlight, and then to his travails and his swift elimination from the geopolitical developments in Libya in a procession that plunged the country into a turmoil that it is yet to recover from. With insight, lucidity, impartiality, breadth, and diligence, Janvier T, Chando manages to delineate the intricate threads that weaved the controversial character of Muammar Gaddafi. He not only finds the truth from the disparate accounts about the Libyan strongman, he shed light on him in a unique manner...

Combining research from Asian scholars with his many years of experience living and working in East Asia, Brad directs our attention to Paul's letter to the Romans. He argues that some traditional East Asian cultural values are closer to those of the first-century biblical world than common Western cultural values. In addition, he adds his voice to the scholarship engaging the values of honor and shame in particular and their influence on biblical interpretation.

The English East India Company was the mother of the modern multinational. Its trading empire encircled the globe, importing Asian luxuries such as spices, textiles, and teas. But it also conquered much of India with its private army and broke open China's markets with opium. The Company's practices shocked its contemporaries and still reverberate today.

When Ugandan President Idi Amin expelled the country's entire Asian population in 1972, more than 28,000 people from Britain's former colony arrived on airstrips around the country and began building new lives - but their incredible stories remained largely hidden. Fifty years later, first and second-generation testimony uncovers an under-explored period of history, touching on colonialism, immigration, identity and modern multiculturalism through the lens of individual experience.

In this groundbreaking book, renowned scholar Philip Jenkins explores a vast and forgotten network of the world’s largest and most influential Christian churches that existed to the east of the Roman Empire. These churches and their leaders ruled the Middle East for centuries and became the chief administrators and academics in the new Muslim empire. The author recounts the shocking history of how these churches—those that had the closest link to Jesus and the early church—eventually died.

A period adventure book set in the East during the early 20th century."The Ship from China" chronicles the harrowing and transformative adventures of Grenville and Elaine, beginning with a journey that quickly turns perilous and evolves into a saga of survival, love, and redemption. Embark on a Thrilling JourneyThe story opens in London, where Sidney Grenville's friend, Fenton, persuades him to travel to China to accompany Fenton's fiancée, Elaine, back home. Despite harboring skepticism and cynicism over venturing on such a mission, Grenville accepts, hoping for some respite and adventure...

Why do Muslim-majority countries exhibit high levels of authoritarianism and low levels of socioeconomic development in comparison to world averages? Ahmet T. Kuru criticizes explanations that point to Islam as the cause of this disparity, because Muslims were philosophically and socioeconomically more developed than Western Europeans between the 9th and 12th centuries. Nor was Western colonialism the cause: Muslims had already suffered political and socioeconomic problems when colonization began.

Having spent centuries in the shadows of its neighbors China and Japan, Korea is now the object of considerable interest for radically different reasons - the South as an economic success story and for its vibrant popular culture; the North as the home to one of the world's most repressive regimes, at once both bizarre and menacing. Korea: A Very Short Introduction explores the history, culture, and society of a deeply divided region.

Not your typical travelogue. Instead, this book is organized by the nature of the experience the author had while traveling. I am an avid world traveler. I have lived in a variety of international locations, and I have both studied abroad and taught abroad. I have backpacked, camped out, stayed at youth hostels, and now, in my senior years, I have stayed in topnotch hotels and resorts. I have flown standby, and I have flown first class. I have hitchhiked, and I have taken public transportation, slow trains, fast trains, boats, and ships. I cherish my memories. They are solid, like granite, ...

Retired and residing here over the years in the Philippines I have taken many photographs of the beauty beaches, flowers, as well as the beautiful trees here on the Islands. I wanted to publish a collection of my photos I have taken here to share with my readers. I truly hope you will enjoy my book entitled: The Beauty of the Philippines Panay Island. Blessed be yours truly Garry E. Lewis

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high? Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins.

Simple meditation for busy people on-the-go If you are serious about meditation, then here are 20 short and simple meditations conveniently packed into this light, easy-to-carry book so that one can take it everywhere, on-the-go. Reading this right now, perhaps you are now where I was, ready to start looking for different ways to meditate and contemplate. Finding what is right for you by trying different ways. I was there too and now I trust that you too will find your life's purpose through one or more of the simple yet powerful meditation methods I've shared in this book." It’s not ...

This young listeners edition of the worldwide best seller Three Cups of Tea has been specially adapted for younger listeners and updated by Greg Mortenson to bring his remarkable story of humanitarianism up to date for the present.

On October 25, 1947, the United States government helped the Chinese Nationalist Party, Kuomingtang (KMT) President Chiang Kai-Shek flee the overwhelming communist forces. President Chiang established the new democratic government known as the Republic of China on an island later to be known as Taiwan, previously a major trading center called the “the beautiful isle” or Formosa. This audiobook will not only account for the transformation of Taiwan in the eyes of the colonizers but understand the detrimental impact that the reshaping caused.

READY FOR A ROARING ADVENTURE? HERE YOU ARE!What separates a man from a monster or demon is found in the heart. Step into the mystical realm of ancient China, where a serpent's quest for love and humanity has captivated hearts for centuries. "The Legend of Lady White Snake" is a mesmerizing literary analysis of the iconic myth of Madam White Snake, a powerful and alluring symbol of transformation and devotion. Story lines for game night and an an epic in its own right! Experience the epic romance and martial arts adventure of Lady White Snake like never before! Discover the nine worlds of ...

Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appeasing her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought.

For more than 2,500 years, the forbidding territory of Afghanistan has served as a vital crossroads not only for armies but also for clashes between civilizations. As a result of the United States' engaging in armed conflict with the Afghan regime, an understanding of the military history of that blood-soaked land has become essential to every American.