East Asia has been a growing focal point of geopolitical conflict since the 1940s, and today increasingly sits at the heart of the global economy and high tech as rising regional powers challenge the centuries-old primacy of the Western world. With half a millennium of Western dominated order in the region facing unprecedented challenges and possibly nearing its end, it is now more than ever essential to understand the history behind it and its objectives. This book undertakes the task of elucidating the complex and little-known history of the West's involvement in the Asia-Pacifi c, providing context critical to understanding contemporary developments.