Dear SSJ Forum Members:



Please forgive the shameless plug, but I am proud to announce the publication of the following volume, together with co-editors Marie Soderberg, Axel Berkofsky, and Chris Hughes:



The EU-Japan Partnership in the Shadow of China: The Crisis of Liberalism



We are planning one or more book-launch events in Tokyo in mid September (stay tuned for more details)



Description: Both the European Union and Japan have been major beneficiaries and supporters of the liberal international order, first led by the United States since the end of World War II. During this period, they have emerged as global powers, however, the very order that nurtured their rise is now facing twin threats: First, through authoritarian China's promotion of alternative models of global governance, and second from a crisis of liberalism, manifested in the policies of President Donald Trump and Brexit.



This book explores these challenges faced by both the EU and Japan, providing a multidisciplinary approach to studying the relationship between the two. It analyses their cooperation in security, defense and trade, and examines how their shared norms and values are ultimately implemented. Having recently concluded an Economic Partnership Agreement together with a Strategic Partnership Agreement, this book asks whether they can convert their latent and modest cooperation into an alternative form of leadership, one that can serve as an antidote to the illiberal tide sweeping the developed world?



As the first book to shed light on the new Economic and Strategic Partnership agreements between the EU and Japan, this volume will be useful to students and scholars of Japanese Studies, as well as European Union politics and international political economy more generally.



Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/EU-Japan-Partnership-Shadow-China-Liberalism/dp/0815397984/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1531686175&sr=1-1&keywords=Midford+Soderberg&dpID=51xWMHaFlqL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch


Best Regards,


Paul Midford


Professor, Director, NTNU Japan Program Department of Sociology and Political Science Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)