Missile defences and Asian-Pacific security /

An informative survey of the security implications of missile defenses in the Asian-Pacific region. Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) has stirred new debates on the relevancy of strategic and tactical missile defenses in the US, the Soviet Union, and Europe. However, despite the growing global and regional importance, very little attention was given to the Asia-Pacific theater. Mazarr's work explores this neglected dimension by tracing the evolving nature of missile defenses in the region and by examining Asian-Pacific countries' reactions to SDI. The author argues that the day of missile defenses has not yet arrived in the region; therefore, SDI has limited security implications for the region as a whole. This is so not only because of divergent perceptions of the Soviet threat in the region, but also because of domestic political and economic contraints that impede investments in missile defenses. A readable piece that turns out mediocre because the scope of analysis is too wide and relies heavily on secondary data sources. Bibliography and index. Recommended for university libraries. Graduate level. -C. Moon, University of Kentucky