Introduction: theories of progress and the nation-state system -- The modernization project: U.S. hegemony and national development. Development economics. Modernization theory -- The globalization project: U.S. hegemony and the passing of national development. The neo-liberal ascendancy and the East Asian miracle. The vicissitudes of the new Asian renaissance. The rise and decline of the developmental state -- The transformation of Asia: The communist challenge and the changing global order. The Asian challenge and the changing global order -- Conclusion: The battle for Asia.