Chapter 1: The World's Tallest Building Chapter 2: Building Taiwan Chapter 3: From Farmers to Manufacturers Chapter 4: From "Free China" to Democratic Taiwan Chapter 5: "America Is Boring at Night" Chapter 6: "An Opportunity Full of Threats": Cross-Strait Economic Interaction Chapter 7: Making Peace with the China Inside and the China Outside Chapter 8: The International Birdcage Chapter 9: Why Taiwan Matters to America and the World Epilogue Bibliography

Many books have recounted Taiwan's economic and political 'miracles,' and readers may wonder why they should be interested in another. Rigger gives two answers: Taiwan is inherently of interest because of its rapid economic growth and democratization, and its vibrant society and cultures; and Taiwan matters because of the island's high-tech global economic role and the strategic security niche it occupies in the western Pacific. Rigger's account is comprehensive and detailed for the last two decades in which she's done research there. She attempts balance, and that is never easy in an area that has been a global hotspot for 62 years. The portrayal is engaging, well written, and sympathetic to the Taiwanese without being cloying. Moreover, it is provocative. For example, Rigger argues that the increased economic interdependence of Taiwan and China 'exposes just how different the two sides have become over the past sixty years.' Both general readers and specialists will enjoy this volume. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels.