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"In 2007, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Shalikashvili (1919-2011) penned an op-ed published in the New York Times calling for the United States to reverse its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy and support full recognition of LGBT Americans in the military. He followed up with a similar editorial in a 2009 issue of the Washington Post. The policy was reversed July 22, 2011, the day before the General's death. Many Americans may have been startled to see this support from a high-ranking military figure, but Shalikashvili's friends and colleagues were not surprised. "Shali," as he was known, had spent his life battling prejudice and oppression. In The Boy on the Bridge, Andrew Marble writes the first biography of this remarkable warrior and diplomat. Not only was Shalikashvili the first foreign-born person to be appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he was the first draftee, one of only two enlisted men, and only Officer Candidate School graduate. He grew up in Germany during World War II, emigrated to the United States with his family in 1952, and settled in Peoria, Illinois. Marble explores Shalikashvili's unusual background and family history to discover how Shalikashvili the soldier mastered the art of command and how Shaliskashvili the man developed as a human being to become a consummate, empathetic diplomat and leader. He helped guide the US and Europe through the chaos of the break-up of the Soviet Union and worked with Russia during this period to secure "loose nukes." He worked closely with fellow immigrant Madeleine Albright on The Partnership for Peace initiatives and NATO enlargement programs of the 1990s that allowed former Soviet satellites and republics to build ties with and eventually join NATO"--

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Issues & Studies, the journal's history is traced from its 1964 inception; its new intellectual focus on social science research related to the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, & East Asia is articulated; changes in its format that include forum, roundtable, issues focus, & special issue features are described; & its new administrative procedures & services are identified. J. Zendejas

Focus includes mix of political scientists, sociologists, media experts, area studies specialists, and policy analysts discussing 2004 presidential elections and referenda, and book review/roundtable on Taiwan/Chinese identity by political scientists, sociologists, historians, and anthropologists; 30 articles.

The goal of this article is to construct a useful typology of ideas that influence foreign policy preferences that individuals hold, using a case study of the ideas embedded in the general debates over US policy with regard to the People's Republic of China & Taiwan. Building on the typology of policy-relevant ideas provided by Goldstein & Keohane, this article (1) argues that "worldviews" are actually best viewed as packages of more basic ideas, & (2) calls for the addition of a new category of ideas, "ordering principles," that, along with "principled beliefs" & "cause-effect ideas" help explain differences in inter- & intra-worldview policy preference. Based on this theoretical framework, the article provides an overview of the debates in the US regarding the policy importance of China & Taiwan. The argument is that there exist four main types of ideas-based worldviews in the US toward the China-Taiwan issue: international realism, sentimental realism, international liberalism, & sentimental liberalism. These main orientations -- as well as important ideational variation within them -- help explain the diversity of opinion found in general discussions of whether Taiwan poses a threat to stable Sino-American relations. Whether a "Taiwan threat" exists, therefore, depends on the ideas & preferences of those you ask. Adapted from the source document.

The essay explores US policy toward Taiwan & the People's Republic of China, the question of whether the current Bush administration has shifted from the Clinton administration's apparent pro-Beijing position, & the implications of the so-called "Taiwan threat" for the tripartite US-China-Taiwan relationship. The author identifies empirical, subjective, normative, & causal components of the hypothesis, & summarizes the contents of the special issue as they engage with these themes. K. Coddon

This article seeks to highlight the methods by which The China Quarterly (CQ) -- the founding journal of the modern China studies field -- has helped create a larger communal identity among researchers interested in the People's Republic of China. The argument is that CQ has used a variety of tools at its disposal -- including choices regarding articles, book reviews, research notes, obituaries, cover design, editorial staff, advisory board, editorial notes, advertisements, & extra-journal activities & publications -- to (1) create an editor-readership connection that creates a more intimate "community of like-minded scholars"; (2) maintain an informal yet quite public "China studies field membership list"; (3) act as a community newsletter, noting events, institutes, & publications of interest to the field; (4) present a "living textual history" of the development of the field; & (5) define or debate the topics, methodologies, & broad research directions that constitute China studies research. These five functions have allowed CQ to shape a communal identity among China watchers that extends far beyond the journal itself. The article closes by drawing implications for attempts to define the China studies field today. Adapted from the source document.