The world was watching when footage of the "tank man" -- the lone Chinese citizen blocking the passage of a column of tanks during the brutal 1989 crackdown on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square -- first appeared in the media. The furtive video is now regarded as an iconic depiction of a government's violence against its own people. Throughout the twentieth century, states across East Asia committed many relatively undocumented atrocities, with victims numbering in the millions. The contributors to this insightful volume analyze many of the most notorious cases, including the Japanese army's Okinawan killings in 1945, Indonesia's anticommunist purge in 1965--1968, Thailand's Red Drum incinerations in 1972--1975, Cambodia's Khmer Rouge massacre in 1975--1978, Korea's Kwangju crackdown in 1980, the Philippines' Mendiola incident in 1987, Myanmar's suppression of the democratic movement in 1988, and China's Tiananmen incident. With in-depth investigation of events that have long been misunderstood or kept hidden from public scrutiny, State Violence in East Asia provides critical insights into the political and cultural dynamics of state-sanctioned violence and discusses ways to prevent it in the future.

This edited volume examines the concept of overhangs or legacies or negative stereotypical images in international relations and their impact on bilateral relations between geographically proximate states in East Asia. The case studies chosen ? Japan-Korea, Japan-China, Vietnam-China, Thailand-Myanmar and Thailand-Cambodia ? demonstrate conclusively that bilateral overhangs or legacies have a significant impact on contemporary international relations. Such images are regularly replicated and stoked by a variety of constituencies, including state agencies, for their own selfish interests. The evidence also points to the fact that such bilateral relationships are relatively self-contained and often operate with their own dynamics. Powerful condensation symbols are appropriated to weave a story of the virtuous self and the stereotypical other. This negative image and its replication is important to an understanding of turbulent bilateral relations in East Asia and also helps to inform how such relations can be brought to an even keel.

In their evolution of political structures and life, countries often undergo significant conjunctures, major events that reorder political structures and norms. The examination of such conjunctures offers an important methodological framework to uncover and document changes that have significantly altered the political template of a country. This collection of case studies examines the critical conjunctures that have affected the countries of Southeast Asia in recent decades. Each chapter traces the antecedent conditions prior to the event, describes the changes brought about by the conjuncture, and details the lasting legacy.

This volume focuses on some of the most important and topical questions about Myanmar. Many of these issues have not been sufficiently researched, comprehensively compiled, and comparatively examined within the broader Southeast Asian context. Especially important contributions in the book pertain to issues of historical influence and political considerations that have shaped the dominant thinking within the state and the military. There are equally important studies of sensitive topics like the political economy of the state and the level of human security in the country. The three major ethnic groups in the country Karen, Kachin, and Shan are also studied in detail. Some of the negotiations between the Karen and Kachin ethnic insurgent group representatives on the one hand, and the military junta on the other, are spelled out in detail. An important corollary finding is the importance of religion and religious personalities in brokering peace between the ethnic groups and the military government. Finally, the book deals with how the various ethnic groups are trying to cope with decades of conflict and reconstruct their communities.