Das Buch ist Teil eines übergreifenden Forschungsprojekts der Europäischen Kommission zum Thema "Shaping Factors by the Year 2000 and Beyond". Aus dem Inhalt: Michael D. Rogers: Expert Consultations - the "Shaping Factors - Shaping Actors" Methodology (4-6); Rüdiger Machetzki: General Socio-Political Fators and Development, the Cultural Base in East Asia - Instead of a Theory That Is Not (7-18); Rüdiger Machetzki: Some Strategic Aspects of Economic Development in East Asia and the Role of the West (19-23); Rüdiger Machetzki: Shaping Trends of Regionalism in Asia Pacific Region (24-28); Wolfgang Pape: East Asia and the "Information Society" (29-39); Manfred Pohl / Wolfgang Pape: Japan at a Turning Point: Political Reforms at Home - and the "Return to Asia"? (40-90); Rüdiger Machetzki: The Way Ahead (91); Manfred Pohl: The Koreas: Interrupted Unification Euphoria and Nuclear Brinkmanship, Globalization and Domestic Structural Challenges (99-107); Rüdiger Machetzki: China - Great Power or "Greater China"? (116-132); Christine Zimmermann-Lössl: Environmental Issues in China as Shaping Factors (133-136); Rüdiger Machetzki: Future Scenarios of China (137-142); Don Vaughn: Science and Technology Policy - 'Case Study of China' (143-148); Rüdiger Machetzki: What is "Greater China"? (149-154); Rüdiger Machetzki: China in the Asia Pacific region and in the world (155-166); Rüdiger Machetzki: ASEAN - Politics and Economic Development (174-207); Rüdiger Machetzki: The Impact of Regional Heterogeneity - Understanding the Forces of Tension in East Asia (208-219).