Asymmetrical neighbors: borderland state building between China and Southeast Asia

'Asymmetrical Neighbors' explains the variations in state building across the borderland area between China, Myanmar, and Thailand. It presents a comparative historical account of the state and nation-building processes in the ethnically diverse and geographically rugged borderland area where China meets Southeast Asia.

Departing from existing literature on state building, this book proposes a novel theoretical approach that looks beyond the confines of state borders. Instead of looking at state building as a process determined by domestic factors, such as war preparation, political institutions, and geographic and demographic variables, Asymmetrical Neighbors argues that we should conceptualize state building as an interactive process heavily influenced by a "neighborhood effect." Ultimately, this book tells the story of the success and failure in state and nation building across the common borderland area between China, Myanmar, and Thailand.