My SHORT ESSAY for Singapore International Foundation Symposium
An essay: The Asian Century: Possibility or Pipe Dream?
By: Aidy Steveany
Extraordinary Asian economic development urges world century transition in the middle of internal conflicts in the region and external pressure.
During the last two decades, globalization[1] has turned Asia into world growth center of military power and economic development[2]. The phenomenon indicates that the Asian Century is coming. This essay summarizes the ground for thinking of The Asian Century to take place and then highlights the divergences between prognosis and realities.
Nowadays, the world movement brings prospect and threats to the development of Asian countries. The possibility to establish the Asian Century is led by two locomotives of Asia[3]: China and Japan; they have an enormous potential in the future to lead other Asian countries and bring the co-prosperity sphere in the region by sustainable economic development and strong military power[4]. The Asian’s economic and political stability as one of the essentials requires an intermediary organization to pioneer regionalism[5] and improve the Asian condition by the involvement in the Asian disputes such as reducing the intense between PRC and Taiwan and succeeding the Korean Reunification[6]
Asia region, as one of the world subsystem, is influenced by the external political power, which is impossible to be diminished[7]. After the Second World War, US hegemony has dominated the world economic order[8] and in the other hand, the internal disputes between Asian countries have still emerged to defend their own sovereignty and zones, such as conflicts over borderlines between Malaysia and Indonesia[9], also the current economic and social problems such as; extensive corruptions, rising costs, labor and natural resources exploitation, and extensive gap between rich and poor show the consequences of its rapid development that will suspend the realization of The Asian Century.
The Asian great countries by their economic power[10] present a new vision, called The Asian Century. All possibilities for it still grow to bring The Asian Century to the surface. The establishment of an organization will help Asia region, as a media to reduce conflicts, solve basic problems among countries and spread the ASIANISM[11] as a new paradigm of perspective to all Asian nations.
Footnotes:
[1] Kent E. Calder. 1998. Asia’s Deadly Triangle. Indonesia Edition (Jakarta: PT. Prehallindo, 201-218)
Prof. Gerand de Bernis. Globalization: History and Problems. December 1999. Hanoi. <http://ismea.org/asialist/Bernis.html>
[2] GEOHIVE: World Statistics Data. The GDP (in US$) of Continents, Regions and Countries. 2005. <http://www.geohive.com/
An essay: The Asian Century: Possibility or Pipe Dream?
By: Aidy Steveany
Extraordinary Asian economic development urges world century transition in the middle of internal conflicts in the region and external pressure.
During the last two decades, globalization[1] has turned Asia into world growth center of military power and economic development[2]. The phenomenon indicates that the Asian Century is coming. This essay summarizes the ground for thinking of The Asian Century to take place and then highlights the divergences between prognosis and realities.
Nowadays, the world movement brings prospect and threats to the development of Asian countries. The possibility to establish the Asian Century is led by two locomotives of Asia[3]: China and Japan; they have an enormous potential in the future to lead other Asian countries and bring the co-prosperity sphere in the region by sustainable economic development and strong military power[4]. The Asian’s economic and political stability as one of the essentials requires an intermediary organization to pioneer regionalism[5] and improve the Asian condition by the involvement in the Asian disputes such as reducing the intense between PRC and Taiwan and succeeding the Korean Reunification[6]
Asia region, as one of the world subsystem, is influenced by the external political power, which is impossible to be diminished[7]. After the Second World War, US hegemony has dominated the world economic order[8] and in the other hand, the internal disputes between Asian countries have still emerged to defend their own sovereignty and zones, such as conflicts over borderlines between Malaysia and Indonesia[9], also the current economic and social problems such as; extensive corruptions, rising costs, labor and natural resources exploitation, and extensive gap between rich and poor show the consequences of its rapid development that will suspend the realization of The Asian Century.
The Asian great countries by their economic power[10] present a new vision, called The Asian Century. All possibilities for it still grow to bring The Asian Century to the surface. The establishment of an organization will help Asia region, as a media to reduce conflicts, solve basic problems among countries and spread the ASIANISM[11] as a new paradigm of perspective to all Asian nations.
Footnotes:
[1] Kent E. Calder. 1998. Asia’s Deadly Triangle. Indonesia Edition (Jakarta: PT. Prehallindo, 201-218)
Prof. Gerand de Bernis. Globalization: History and Problems. December 1999. Hanoi. <http://ismea.org/asialist/Bernis.html>
[2] GEOHIVE: World Statistics Data. The GDP (in US$) of Continents, Regions and Countries. 2005. <http://www.geohive.com/
global/geo.php?xml=ec_gdp2&xls=gdp_region> (30th May 2005)
Asia region GDP reach USD 21.504.497l.000.000 in 2004, approximately 38.75% from world GDP (USD 55,500,000,000,000), in this calculation, world GDP is divided into 7 regions.
[3] Calder, Op. Cit., 208
Dr. Sue Ellen Charlton. Comparative Asian Politics. Colorado State Education Department <http://www.colostate.edu/
Asia region GDP reach USD 21.504.497l.000.000 in 2004, approximately 38.75% from world GDP (USD 55,500,000,000,000), in this calculation, world GDP is divided into 7 regions.
[3] Calder, Op. Cit., 208
Dr. Sue Ellen Charlton. Comparative Asian Politics. Colorado State Education Department <http://www.colostate.edu/
dept/polisci/fac/se/sc/html> (29th May 2005)
[4] Bill Gordon. Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. March 2000. <http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu
[4] Bill Gordon. Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. March 2000. <http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu
/papers/coprospr.htm> (2nd June 2005)
[5] Louise Fawcett and Andrew Hurrell. Regionalism in World Politics: Regional Organization and International Order.1995. (New York: Oxford University Press, 9)
[6] The Institute for Far Eastern Studies. 1986. Asian Perspective: A Biannual Journal of Regional & International Affairs. (Seoul, Korea: Kyungnam University, 7-19)
Amy Gadsden. A Conference Report, Flashpoints in East Asia: Hot, Hotter, Hottest. Vol. 8, number 3. June 2000. <http://www.fpri.org/fpriwire/0803.200006.
[5] Louise Fawcett and Andrew Hurrell. Regionalism in World Politics: Regional Organization and International Order.1995. (New York: Oxford University Press, 9)
[6] The Institute for Far Eastern Studies. 1986. Asian Perspective: A Biannual Journal of Regional & International Affairs. (Seoul, Korea: Kyungnam University, 7-19)
Amy Gadsden. A Conference Report, Flashpoints in East Asia: Hot, Hotter, Hottest. Vol. 8, number 3. June 2000. <http://www.fpri.org/fpriwire/0803.200006.
gadsden.flashpointeastasia.html> (9th June 2005)
[7] Harold D. Lasswell and Abraham Kaplan. 1982. Powers and Society. (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 75)
[8] Ibid. Page 74-77.
[9] Mokhzani Zubir. Exchange of Cyber-Fire During The Malaysia-Indonesia Ambalat Dispute: A Lessen For The Future. March 2005. <http://www.mima.gov.my/mima/htmls
[7] Harold D. Lasswell and Abraham Kaplan. 1982. Powers and Society. (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 75)
[8] Ibid. Page 74-77.
[9] Mokhzani Zubir. Exchange of Cyber-Fire During The Malaysia-Indonesia Ambalat Dispute: A Lessen For The Future. March 2005. <http://www.mima.gov.my/mima/htmls
