This course examines the age-old relationship between Northeast Asia, on the one hand, with its Confucian heritage, and Islamic nations of the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, considering in detail current and future security and economic implications of their revived relationship, as the American military presence recedes. Particular attention is given to the deepening ties of Japan, China, and Korea with the Persian Gulf, driven by complementary interests in energy and finance, and to the substantial implications for world affairs beyond the Iraq and Afghan conflicts, as the presence of China and India in continental Asia rises.