From the back cover of Asia Alone: The Dangerous Post-Crisis Divide From America

Asia divided from America. This is something many hope will not happen. Some deny it is happening at all. But such a division is increasingly probable. In this lucidly written and thought-provoking book, author Simon Tay highlights the accelerating trends that point to Asia increasingly going on its own path, without America. It then describes fundamental changes and new policy directions to avoid this outcome and move the relationship forward.

America and Asia entered the global financial crisis of 2008 together, their economies clearly interdependent. But they may end up more separated than united, and poorer for that. Economic and business opportunities and synergies will be missed. Stability for Asia and the stature of the USA will both be compromised. A partnership, valuable and indeed critical to both since the end of WWII, may end precipitately. Emerging from this crisis, the shape of the future may be something that we have not known in living memory: Asia Alone.

The geopolitics of Asia will play an increasingly central role in global affairs. To avoid a dangerous divide, leaders, policy-makers, companies and citizens on both sides must help to find a new balance between the United States and Asia. This balance will shape, for better or for worse, the coming years not only for Asians and Americans but, in tandem, for the post-crisis world.

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria describes Simon Tay as “one of the most intelligent and reliable guides to the region.” Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Susan Shirk says “Tay’s vision of how to remake the partnership so that it works better for both the United States and Asia should be essential reading for businesspeople and diplomats alike.”

Visit the book's official site: http://www.asiaalone.com

More advance praise for Asia Alone

In this thoughtful book, Simon Tay, a distinguished Singaporean, argues that the relationship between Asia and the United States must become more equal. The United States must change and so, too, must Asia: the former must eschew past hubris and present isolationism, while the latter must overcome present hubris and past divisions.
- Martin Wolf, Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator, The Financial Times

Nowhere are the changes taking place in the world more evident than in Asia, where the United States has vital security interests and faces a rising China. Simon Tay’s stimulating book expertly frames the issues in ways that will be helpful to policy makers and informed readers alike.
- J. Stapleton Roy, United States Ambassador to China (1991-95), Singapore (1984-86), and Indonesia (1996-99), Director, Kissinger Institute on China and the United States

Asia Alone is a welcome addition to the growing literature on Asia’s rise and America’s decline as it uniquely makes a strong case for a new form of partnership among Asian countries and the US. Tay is not only a clear thinker, but also a lucid writer who makes complex trends highly readable.
- Vishaka Desai, President, Asia Society (New York)

Tay’s thoughtful analysis and unique perspective make this book a necessary read for anyone studying or interested in the relationship between Asia and the United States. I highly recommend this book for those searching for greater understanding of regional dynamics and the changing nature of relations between Asia and the US.
- Han Sung Joo, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea 1993-1994, Chairman, Asan Institute of Policy Studies

In his wonderfully-written new book Asia Alone, Simon Tay captures the essence of America’s Asia challenge–a United States that stands outside Asia, while the region increasingly looks within for its future. While Tay’s book is bound to become an essential read for every Asia hand, it will be equally compelling to anyone interested in how America can thrive as a global power in the 21st century.
- Elizabeth Economy, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

The geopolitics of Asia will play an increasingly central role in global affairs. Simon Tay is one the most intelligent and reliable guides to the region.
- Fareed Zakaria, Editor, Newsweek International, Host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS