Asia in Post-Western Age Niraj Kumar Title: Asia in Post-Western Age Author :

Besides the experience of travel itself, identify one theme or pattern that seems to be repeated throughout the test. Examples (political\ systems, economic development, religion). What significance does this theme or pattern play in shaping the ancient world? Are there any chapters/people/events that contradict your pattern or theme?’

Globalization is the process by which the markets of different countries become integrated due to the exchange of goods, services, technology, and capital. Globalization depends on social, economic, and political factors, and continuously alters the way that the world works. All the vital components of the evolving global, political, economic and social institutions being examined seem to constantly converge and to perpetually intertwine during the day to day administration of global affairs. Diplomacy is employed to keep a measured balance between conflict and cooperation. The global guarantees of international law are placed in sharp contrast to the grim reality of human rights on daily basis and policy is dictated by the scales of political power and the urgent priorities of economic necessity. To understand how the globe functioned in the past and how it wishes to function in the future, we must study each factor separately and observe its inevitable interactivity with the other factors that occur. It is important to note that none of the dynamics can be given greater weight in comparison to the other crucial instrumentalities.

In When Asia was the World, Stewart Gordon investigates how trade led to the spread of religion and education/innovation. These factors were critical in Asia’s rise to dominance. Throughout the book, trade is discussed as a medium for culture to travel across large areas of land. It is this movement of new ideas that catalyzed Asia’s growth.

What made Asia one of the most influential, intercontinental, and powerful nations during the ancient world? Was it the spread of new religion? The bustling trade? Or was it the knowledge and communication spread throughout the continent? In the book When Asia was the World, Stewart Gordon analyses journals, primary text, and personal accounts of life in Asia during this time. We see the view of the world through merchants, traders, scholars, philosophers, travelers, and generals, from 500 – 1500 CE. Although this book seems like it is emphasizing the importance of travel in the ancient world, it is actually about how trade spread valuable goods, services, and knowledge that made Asia the center of civilization.

1) Nationalism, socialism, and religion have all played a major role in anti-colonial struggles and post-colonial constructions in India and Southeast Asia. Which of these three ideologies do you think was most effective for colonized peoples and why?

The Europeans who dreamt of conquering Asia were under the impression that Asia was a blank slate, isolated with no history and traditions. However, that is their misconception for Asia from 500-1500 CE “was a vast world of contrast… [and] bewildering variety” thriving with many empires, capital cities, religions, and cultures (Gordon, 177). Because of this, Asia then can be classified as a compilation of many key eras such as the Medieval Age in China and the Golden Age. Such prosperous times for Asian states and empires are to be accredited to the notable networking in Asia at this time period. People who utilized the establishment of fundamental institutions such as the religions of Islam and Buddhism and various modes of trading and traveling were able to facilitate the diffusion of ideas and cultures therefore indirectly contributing to the overall connection of Asian states and empires during 500-1500 CE.

Before this assignment I never knew anything about Asian history until I got to this class and received this assignment. I can’t believe how much Asian history influenced the way we as Americans look at history now. In Steward Gordon’s When Asia Was The World, I found the story of Xuanzang very interesting. Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk who traveled all over to learn more about Buddhism until he became confused and decided to go to the center of Buddhism, along the way he faced many difficulties, he decided to go back to China and share what he had learned.

Chapter 19 Study Guide, Internal Troubles, External Threats: China, the Ottoman Empire, and Japan, 1800-1914, Study Guide (Original: pp. 559-586; With Sources: pp. 877-903)

As early as the 1500s, Asia was making a start towards religion. Many Missionaries, like the Jesuits, introduced various parts of Asia to the Christian faith. Towards the end of 1500, Jesuits were teaching in sixteen villages throughout India. These missionaries coming to serve mostly had good effects to the country and a few bad effects too.

The role of the federal government in the formation of the modern West, holds to a wide range of factors. The role of the government remained small in until the beginning of the 20th century, but later in history, its reach became far more apparent and noticeable. An understanding of the foundations of settlement in the West is important to address. The basics of in these foundations, in modern urbanization, are influential to the direct role the government plays in the lands to the West. In this discussion, I will examine some of the major contributions in which federal government involvement was apparent in the West.

Ho-fung Hung’s work attempts to reconcile the widespread expectation that China’s rise would lead to a fundamental change in the global status quo with the observed fact that China has become increasingly connected to and one with the global status quo. To do this, he must first examine China’s rise and prove that it upholds the global status quo, and further must look into the origins of China’s rise, going back to the 13th century, to understand why this rise seemingly changed so little about the global world order.

Ikenberry begins his article stating that power and wealth spheres are moving from the North and the West to the East and the South (Ikenberry, 56). Moreover, he explains that the modern rising states are large non-western developing countries such as China or India (Ikenberry 57). Ikenberry contemplates that the global economic slowdown and the different set of cultural, political and economic experiences gives way to the belief that the liberal world order is ending (Ikenberry, 57). However, Ikenberry dismisses this thought, as he believes that emerging great powers will want to maintain the basic rules and principles of the liberal world order (Ikenberry, 57). Ikenberry asserts that the power transition of North and the West to the East

In the current anarchic world, The United States acts as the global hegemon. However, China’s recent rise to power has lead international relations experts, Ikenberry, Mearsheimer, Subramanian, and Friedberg, to predict an upcoming power shift in the international system. China’s increasing control over the Asia-Pacific region has threatened U.S. power. According to Waltz, the realism paradigm interprets the anarchic structure of the international community, as a constant power struggle. Although each country may be different, to survive, they must all strive for power. Under the liberalism paradigm, the system is still anarchical but cooperation may be achieved by shared norms, and aligned political and economical interests.

I found Mahbubani work to be truly contemporary and real about the situations the world is facing now. At times I felt he was unsympathetic in his views about the west perceptions towards the rest of the world, viewing it as a threat and not celebrating this upcoming we are experiencing, but Mahbubani always gives sufficient proof to prove his points that make even the most skeptical think twice. I agree that the seven pillars laid by the western civilization have enabled the growing for new powers to arise. He describes the end of Western dominance and continuation of the natural Asia prevalence of the world. The book calls on many of the flaws made by the West, while at the same time giving his opinion on changes that need to be made in order to have global harmony. I found the book to be sometimes too optimistic on Asia’s upcoming, but after all he makes a great case for the phenomenon of Asia rising. Such a change in the world order calls for acceptance and collaboration according.

Globalization has been one of the core factors contributing to the growth of the East Asia economy. This has been associated with the increasingly growth of globalization in all the aspects of life amongst the East Asian people. Additionally, globalization has led to a daily change in both the social, economic and political status of the East Asia. As such, East Asia has been known as one of the rapidly growing economies across the entire globe. More so, globalization has also led to a period of remarkable economic growth amongst the East Asian countries, therefore making this region to be a well-known beneficiary of the globalization. Importantly, there is need of determining the future of globalization in order to predict the state of the economy at that time. As such, there is need for recognizing the current trends of the transformations in the East Asia that will aid in determining the future of the globalization. As such, the prime objective of this paper is to evaluate the future of globalization in East Asian countries by evaluating the historical behind the growth of the economy, social and political statuses of the two sample countries in this region.