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This book studies less-frequently visited aspects of the mid-20th century conflict between China and Japan. Without denying the importance of the more conventional genre of military history or the more recent efforts at analyzing the destructiveness of the War, it delves into various segments of Chinese society, including the state and the political parties, and examines the ways they mobilized their resources to fight Japanese aggression.Unique among foreign wars in modern Chinese history, the Sino-Japanese War stands out not only as the longest war fought on Chinese soil, but also the longest confrontation in the run-up to it. The process dates back to at least the conclusion of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, when the Japanese firmly established a foothold on the Chinese mainland in the Northeast (Manchuria). With a base on continental China, the Japanese could more easily infiltrate, penetrate, and occupy other regions of China, purposes that colonial Taiwan could not serve as well. The War and its prologue provoked at least as many forms of resistance as there were forms of Japanese aggression. If China's military resistance was less than vigorous overall, the Chinese did mobilize often scant resources to oppose or undermine Japanese aggression with sporadic success. Besides fresh perspectives on the War, these studies further provide an important background to the contest for power after the War. To the extent that we are still living with the consequences of the War, the socio-political forces that came into existence during the period of resistance continue to have relevance.

A distinguished group of authoritative scholars, officals, and policy experts here express their first-hand insights, their ambitions, and their cautions for the future of Kazakhstan.Policy and practice are examined in detail and the results of their analysis presented on challenges ranging from introducing national self-determination, inequitable distribution of power and privilege, national identity and constitutional law, the interrelationship of corruption and authoritarianism, Kazakhstan's role in global oil politics, and the gentle art of international relations with Russia, just next door, and the United States, half a world away.Kazakhstan is a republic in Central Asia roughly the size of Western Europe and about four times larger than Texas. The country regained its independence in 1991 with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and is a leading world producer of oil and gas as well as a variety of strategic minerals. Over half the 15 million population is Christian, mostly Russian Orthodox, with the remainder largely Muslims. Ethnic Kazakhs constitute just over half the population with Russians contributing another third, followed by Ukrainians at about 5% and the remainder made up of over 100 different ethnicities.