A critique of America's flawed Asia policy that centres on US-Japan relations but harkens back to the same disastrous views that drew America into Vietnam. The technique is a narrative flow of short vignettes woven into longer chapters; the main strands are personal reflections and interviews.

Shanghai Delta Map, Provinces of China Map, Central Shanghai Map, Abbreviations, Romanizations, A Note about Wordings, Tables, Plates, Preface and Acknowledgments, Part 2. Legitimation: Local Seers Reform Political Truth- Commitment After Campaigns, Part 3. Sanctions: Commanders Reform Political Tradition-- Coercive Incentives by State and Nonstate Communities, Part 4. Steering: Statesmen Reform Political Structure-- Authoritarianism, Liberalism, and Alternatives, Sources, Index