Lesson 2 Asian Regionalism The Role of Asia in the Era of Globalization GLOBALIZATION AND THE ASIA PACIFIC AND SOUTH ASIA EHITO KIMURA Framework along three trajectories the region as an object impacted by globalization the region as a subject pushing globalization forward the region as an alternative to globalization To start with … The term "Asia" itself comes from the ancient Greeks The demarcation line along cultural or political lines rather than according to any clear geographical rationale. A more recent and even less precise regional label is "Asia Pacific". This refers broadly to the area of the world in or around Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Typically, it includes the states in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Ehito Kimura The Asia Pacific and South Asia refer together to the regions of East (or Northeast) Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South Asia. Uniqueness differences in language and culture geography, political systems, historical experience, and broad demographic characteristics economy economically developed states (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan) highly impoverished countries (Cambodia, Laos, and Nepal) size / demography the largest and most populous states on the globe (China, India) some of the worlds’ smallest (Maldives and Bhutan) How then are we to think about the relationship between globalization and this economically and politically important region? an externalist view (object) illustrating the way in which the region has been affected by globalization. a generative view (subject) showing how the region is an active agent pushing the process of globalization forward. the region can be understood as posing an alternative to globalization. An Externalist View of Globalization An external phenomenon being pushed into the region by world powers, particularly the United States and Europe. From this perspective globalization can be understood as a process that transforms the Asia Pacific and South Asia bringing economic development, political progress, and social and cultural diversity to the region. economic underdevelopment and the Externalist View According to this view, the technologically and industrially more advanced Western powers … forced their way to political and economic dominance. Colonialism in the region beginning from the 1500s brought enormous, often devastating changes. 19th and 20th century Movements for nationalism and independence emerged in many parts of the world including the Asia Pacific and South Asia. Scholars of nationalism argue that the roots of national identity lie in the rise of western industrialization and capitalism. Once developed, it became manifested politically in concrete movements in colonial areas such as Latin America and Asia. Jose Rizal imagine themselves as Filipino after being influenced by life in Spain and elsewhere (Anderson, 2007). World War II marks another way in which the region comes to be at once integrated and influenced by external forces. The end of WW II led into another era The Cold War The Cold War was the geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle between two world superpowers, the USA and the USSR, that started in 1947 at the end of the Second World War and lasted until the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991. Economic Miracles of the 1970's and 1980's Japan and other East Asian states including Korea and Taiwan were able to adapt their economic policies in line with what they understood as an increasing globalized economic system and benefitted from export oriented growth policies in the 1980s and 1990s. Southeast Asian countries (late 1980s and 1990s) Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. The Southeast Asian "tigers" had some similarities to their East Asian counterparts including relatively close ties between the state and business elite, some degree of autonomous decision making structure, and the rise of manufacturing. However, the Southeast Asian economies were also much more reliant on infusions of foreign capital, based on fixed exchange rate policies and corresponding investments and returns (Garnaut, 1998: 1-11). International Financial Institutions (IFIs) World Bank (WB) International Monetary Fund (IMF) The cornerstones of economic liberalization and globalization in the post war global economy. Initially designed to help rebuild Europe, the World Bank and the IMF soon turned their attention to the developing world including Southeast Asia. promoted neo liberal economic policies (deregulation, privatization, the rule of the market) By the mid-1990s, the policies that had driven high levels of growth in the 'tiger' economies began to show their limits. Much of the investment going into places such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia was speculative 'hot' money looking for quick returns on capital. In July 1997 (Asian Crisis), the Thai economy collapsed as investment fled like a massive herd and the crisis spread to much of the region (Bullard, Bello and Malhotra, 1998). Politics Liberal and democratic political values The fall of Suharto (the second and the longest serving president of Marxist ideology Indonesia) China, Vietnam, Korea, Cambodia Culture Globalization is a form of cultural Westernization summed up in the term McWorld (Barber, 2003). Critics argue that globalization is leading to cultural homogenization and the destruction of cultural diversity. Culture In 2022, China had the most McDonald's restaurants throughout the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East with nearly five thousand stores. Japan and Australia followed in the ranking with approximately 2.96 thousand and 1.02 thousand stores, respectively. Culture Domestic fast food chains … compete with Western brands KFC in the Philippines California Fried Chicken (CFC) in Indonesia Jumbo King in India Result of McDonaldization Radical change in Asia diet One study in Japan shows that younger people consume more beef and beer than older counterparts and the older people eat more rice, vegetables, and fruits. Similar patterns are evident through much of the McDonaldization thesis would also refers to changing tastes in areas such as music, clothing, television, and film. Generative View The Asia Pacific and South Asia … serving as an engine for globalization Arguments Spice trade attracted the European powers to the region (Anthony Reid, 1988). Circumnavigating the globe was a means to find cheaper and faster ways to bring the goods back to Europe (Reid, 1988). Asia, not the West, was the central global force in the early modern world economy. It was the site of the world's most important trade routes (Silk Road) More advanced in the fields of science and medicine. China had a historically unprecedented maritime fleet in the early fifteenth century under admiral Zeng Ho which traveled within the region and as far as Africa (Levathes, 1997). Zheng He or Cheng Ho (1371 – 1433) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, and fleet admiral during China's early Ming dynasty. China has also now surpassed the World Bank in lending to developing countries. The China Development Bank and the China Export Import Bank signed loans of at least US$110 billion to other developing country governments and companies in 2009 and 2010, surpassing the US%100.3 billion from mid 2008 - to mid 2010 by the India has opened up and emphasized an export oriented strategy. Textiles Software development It is also playing a key role in global service provision as trends in outsourcing and off-shoring increase - Dossani and Kenney, 2 India and China have also become a major source of international migrant labor Highly skilled labor Semi-skilled labor Unskilled labor Culture Asian cultures have also spread outward to the West and the rest of the world. Hello Kitty Anime Pokemon K-Pop Kung Fu Gangnam style Train to Bushan Astroboy Power Rangers Sushi Bollywood Much of this has come to be understood as the spread of a kawaii or ‘cute’ culture, or what some have called ‘Pink Globalization’ (Yano, 2009: 681 – 8). Major Religions of the World Christianity Judaism Islam Buddhism Hinduism Zoroastrianism Confucianism an ancient Chinese belief system, which focuses on the importance of personal ethics and morality. Satyagraha (truth force) … non-violent protests as a political Globalization has not been a one-way street. … it is also true that the region is generative of many aspects of the globalization process. The Anti-global Impulse Regional Alternatives to Globalization The arguments from this perspective see the region, as a source of resistance to globalization or to a global or Western Powers. Historical Perspective Japan’s attempted to building of a supposed East Asian CoProsperity Sphere idea of ‘Asia for Asiatics’ and the need to liberate the region from Europe. • The ‘Sphere’ referred initially to Japan, China, and Manchukuo. However, with the outbreak of World War II, Japan also looked beyond Northeast Asia to South and Southeast Asia. • The members of the Sphere included Japan, Manchukuo, Mangjiang (Outer Mongolia), the Republic of China, States of Burma, Republic of the Philippines, Empire of Vietnam, Kingdom of Kampuchea, Kingdom of Laos, Azad Hind, Kingdom of Thailand (Beasley, 2000). Japan’s General Tojo at the Greater East Asia Conference in November 1943, declared that Asia had a ‘spiritual presence’ that opposed the ‘materialistic civilization of the West’ (Beasley, 2000: 89). Asian Values Asia has culturally distinct characteristics that make it different from Western liberal democracies. PM Mohaned Mahathir ‘The Asian way is to reach consensus on national goals within the democratic framework, to take the middle path, the Confucian Chun Yung or the Islamic, awsatuha(the middle path), to exercise tolerance and sensitivity towards others’ (Langlois, 2001: 15). This contrasts with Western values where every individual can do what he likes, free from any restraint by governments [and] individuals soon decide that they should break every rule and code governing their society (Langlois, 2001: 15). • Proponents of the Asian values thesis argued that Asians (not clearly defined) tend to respect authority, hard work, thrift, and emphasize the community over the individual. Asia operates on the basis of harmony and consensus rather than majority rule. Concepts such as individual rights, political liberalism, and democracy are Western concepts, antithetical to the Asian tradition. To that end, the leaders of these states justified their authoritarian regimes based on Asian values. • Another way the region serves as an alternative to globalization is through the lens of regional arrangements. Earlier, it was noted that some regional institutions did little to counter and even expanded economic, globalization through their principles of ‘open regionalism’. However, there are other institutions proposed or implemented at the regional level that are more exclusively and self-consciously ‘Asian’. Regional Arrangement The East Asia Economic Caucus (EAEC) Floated as early as 1990, the EAEC was pushed as an alternative to APEC, more precisely an APEC without Western states. The proposed member states were ASEAN, China, South Korea, and Japan. Objected by the United States of America … a threat to their strategic partnership ASEAN +3 (APT), which includes China, South Korea, and Japan, is seen as a successor to the EAEC …. (Terada, 2003). The Asian Monetary Fund (AMF) Proposed by Japan’s Ministry of Finance (1997) China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines (Lipscy, 2003). the initial draft proposal suggested that the AMF would act autonomously from the IMF. Opposed by the US Military The emergence of regional terror networks, such as Jemaah Islamiyah or JI Abu Sayyaf ISIS Al-Qaeda Military The emergence of regional terror networks Jemaah Islamiyah ISIS Al-Qaeda Abu Sayyaf The alleged goals of JI are territorial and also regionalist, namely to create an Islamic state in Indonesia followed by a pan-Islamic caliphate incorporating Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the southern Philippines. The relationship between globalization and the region of Asia Pacific and South Asia It shows how globalization is a complex process where regional dynamics must be understood as both a cause and consequence. End!
