Arc of Empire - by Michael H Hunt & Steven Levine (Paperback)

About the Book

Arc of Empire: America's Wars in Asia from the Philippines to Vietnam

Book Synopsis

Although conventionally treated as separate, America's four wars in Asia were actually phases in a sustained U.S. bid for regional dominance, according to Michael H. Hunt and Steven I. Levine. This effort unfolded as an imperial project in which military power and the imposition of America's political will were crucial. Devoting equal attention to Asian and American perspectives, the authors follow the long arc of conflict across seventy-five years from the Philippines through Japan and Korea to Vietnam, tracing along the way American ambition, ascendance, and ultimate defeat. They show how these wars are etched deeply in eastern Asia's politics and culture.
The authors encourage readers to confront the imperial pattern in U.S. history with implications for today's Middle Eastern conflicts. They also offer a deeper understanding of China's rise and Asia's place in today's world.

For instructors: An Online Instructor's Manual is available, with teaching tips for using Arc of Empire in graduate and undergraduate courses on America's wars in Asia. It includes lecture topics, chronologies, and sample discussion questions.

Review Quotes

Arc of Empire's propositions and conclusions are eloquently stated and for the most part, it seems to me, true. . . . [It] will add to the knowledge of older readers and enlighten younger ones.--The New York Review of Books

[This] book should be illuminating and instructive to all who are concerned about U.S. overseas military involvement and its domestic and international ramifications.--H-Empire Reviews

A crisp, lively narrative sure to interest scholars in the field, their students, and the general public.--Journal of American History

A powerful analysis of the American wars in eastern Asia that span the twentieth century.--International Affairs

A tremendously important book . . . . It is imperative for all scholars of foreign relations, especially of U.S. foreign relations, to read Arc of Empire--Reviews in American History

A valuable book that merits careful reading. . . . Will encourage readers to take a fresh look at wars usually treated in isolation.--Army History

Hunt and Levine's book is important . . . to anyone who deals with the history of American foreign policy.--H-War

Recommended for readers interested in current events and 20th-century history, especially military history and U.S.-Asia relations.--Library Journal

Required reading for advanced students of modern US history, and therefore a necessary purchase for all academic libraries. Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above.--Choice

Whether you are prone to agree or take issue with this book's controversial premise and conclusions, it is well worth reading.--Missoulian

About the Author

Michael H. Hunt is Emerson Professor of History Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author or editor of twelve books, including The American Ascendancy: How the United States Gained and Wielded Global Dominance and A Vietnam War Reader: A Documentary History from American and Vietnamese Perspectives.

Steven Levine is research faculty associate in the Department of History at the University of Montana and author or editor of seven books, including Anvil of Victory: The Communist Revolution in Manchuria, 1945-1948 and America's Wars in Asia: A Cultural Approach to History and Memory.