The course adopts a comparative approach to the study of the origins, nature and effects of East-West encounters. It provides a historical analysis and an account of Western diplomacy in Asia from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century with emphasis on the following issues: (1) the origins of Western expansion in Asia; (2) the use of Western military power as a mean to achieve diplomatic victory in Asian countries; (3) rivalries among the major Western powers in Asia; (4) Western powers in Asia during the two world wars; (5) the conflicts between Western diplomacy and Asian nationalism during the twentieth century; and (6) the appearance of economic block in global politics.