This title was first published in 2003. Original, insightful and well-organized, Rawdon Dalrymple studies Australia's sense of vulnerability and attachment to distant protectors which has coexisted with tendencies of both assertiveness and complacency. Penetrating and authoritative the book examines the cautious development of Australian relations with East Asia during the 1980s and 1990s, with detailed coverage of the background to the Australian effort and critical analysis of where Australian forays into the politics of the region leave its standing in East Asia and the world today.