“Imperfect Partners” is former ambassador Scot Marciel’s inside account of US relations with Southeast Asia since the Cold War. Combining research, anecdotes and analysis, Marciel offers insights into U.S. approaches toward allies, former foes, and countries in transition, plus practical recommendations for boosting US influence in the region.

Imperfect Partners is a unique hybrid – part memoir, part foreign policy study of U.S. relations with Southeast Asia, a critically important region that has become the central arena in the global U.S.-China competition. From the People Power revolt in the Philippines to the opening of diplomatic relations with Vietnam, from building a partnership with newly democratic Indonesia to responding to genocide in Myanmar and coups in Thailand, Scot Marciel was present and involved. His direct involvement and deep knowledge of the region, along with his extensive policymaking work in Washington, allows him to bring to life the complexities and realities of key events and U.S. responses, along with rare insights into U.S. foreign policy decisionmaking and the work of American diplomats in the field.