The main theme of this book is that security is not just about defence from external attack, but embraces the protection of identity and values which cultures regard as important, and which they may regard as worth fighting for. It examines Asia Pacific security from the perspective of the values and identities of the major actors in the region - China, Japan, the Koreas and the USA - and highlights in particular the importance for China of the idea of a centralised state, and the impact of this on the question of the status of Taiwan; pacifism in Japan, which is at odds with US demands for Japan to take on a larger security role in the region; American values and political culture, which determine US policy in the region, but which are not necessarily universal values as American leaders like to think; and the clashing values of the two Koreas - the South keen for engagement , the North determinedly resisting it.
It goes on to argue that the development of Asia Pacific regionalism is deeply affected by the clash of values between Asia and the US, that the values and identities of Asian actors have been misunderstood by the West, and that there can be no true security in the Asia Pacific region unless the values and identities of Asian actors are accommodated.