The success of the first five editions shows that this book fills a vacuum for readers who wish to learn about the countries of South-East Asia. Recent years have seen a number of important developments all of which are covered here. With the global climate becoming more uncertain and the threat of terrorism spilling over, this book will aid readers' knowledge of this region by addressing its historical past and political future. It is based around a prophetic observation of Lee Kuan Yew, the legendary former Prime Minister of Singapore, that "to understand the present and to anticipate the future, one must know enough of the past, enough to have a sense of the history of a people".