Chapter 6: Asian Regionalism PDF

Globalization and the Asia Pacific and South Asia ASIAN REGIONALISM ASIAN REGIONALISM ASIAN REGIONALISM REGIONALISM – is a political ideology focusing on the development of a political or social system based on one or more regions. ASIAN REGIONALISM – regionalism is a rela...

Globalization and the Asia Pacific and South Asia ASIAN REGIONALISM ASIAN REGIONALISM ASIAN REGIONALISM REGIONALISM – is a political ideology focusing on the development of a political or social system based on one or more regions. ASIAN REGIONALISM – regionalism is a relatively new aspect of Asia’s rise! Asia’s economics are increasingly connected through trade, financial, transactions, direct investment, technology labor and tourist flows and other economic relationships. A dynamic and outward-looking Asian regionalism could bring huge benefit not just to Asia, but to the world. It could help sustain the region’s growth, underpin its stability and with the right policies – reduce inequality. And it could help marshal a common response to major new challenges that often arise suddenly and unexpectedly. A vibrant, integrated Asia could bring the region’s immense intellectual and economic resources to bear on these and tomorrow’s challenges. And it could help power and stabilize the global economy by boosting productivity raising living standards and reducing poverty everywhere. A stable cohesive and productive Asia is thus in everyone’s interest.  Globalization- defined as the worldwide integration along economic, political, social, and cultural lines Asia- comes from the ancient Greeks who categorized the world into 3 continents (Europe, Africa, and Asia) Asia Pacific- refers broadly to the area of the world in or around Asia and the Pacific Ocean; typically includes the states in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania ‘Pacific’ part of Asia- usually refers to the Pacific Islands, or Oceania, the island groupings of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia Asia Pacific and South Asia-refer together to the regions of East (or Northeast) Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South Asian  The Asia Pacific and South Asia has emerged over the past decade as a new political force in the world. Much of this is driven by the robust economic growth in China and India and the strategic implications this brings to regional and global players. The Asia-Pacific has become a key driver of global politics. Stretching from the Indian subcontinent to the western shores of the Americas, the region spans two oceans; the Pacific and the Indian; that are increasingly linked by shipping and strategy. It boasts almost half the world's population. It includes many of the key engines of the global economy, as well as the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. It is home to several of our key allies and important emerging powers like China, India, and Indonesia.  The area makes up nearly a third of the world's land mass and two-thirds of the global population. The combined economies of the region now generate the largest share of global GDP (gross domestic product) at 35 per cent, compared with Europe (28 per cent) and North America (23 per cent) (Asian Development Bank, 2012: 156). ). Despite this economic growth, there are still millions of people affected by poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS, gender inequality and other socio-economic problems in the region. In addition to differences in language and culture, the variation among states and peoples in this region is vast. It also includes some of the world's most economically developed states such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, and highly impoverished countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and Nepal.  It includes the largest and most populous states on the globe including China and India and some of the world's smallest such as the Maldives and Bhutan. The countries in the region also vary widely according to geography, political systems, historical experience, and broad demographic characteristics. Relationship between the process of globalization and the region of Asia Pacific and South Asia THREE FRAMEWORK ALONG THREE TRAJECTORIES: 01 02 03 1.) The region as an 2.) The region as a 3.) The region as an object impacted by subject pushing alternative to globalization globalization forward globalization (shows (externalist view (generative view how the region can be illustrating the way in showing how the region understood as posing which the region has is an active agent an alternative view to been affected by pushing the process of globalization) globalization) globalization forward) 1. An Externalist View of Globalization Globalization can be understood as a process that transforms the Asia Pacific and South Asia Positive side: can be seen as a force for good bringing economic development, political progress, and social and cultural diversity to the region Negative side: effects of globalization including its role in economic underdevelopment and the uprooting of local tradition and culture Earliest manifestation of externalist discourse: historical narratives about the Western ‘arrival’ to the Asia Pacific and South Asia; Western superiority at the time existed for a variety of reasons, ranging from environmental and ecological advantages to other social, political, and/or cultural characteristics  Presence of colonialism in the region: beginning from the 1500s e.g. Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Visayan region of what would become the Philippines in 1521 marking the beginning of extended Spanish colonial rule in those islands; Japan, which had been closed off during the reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate, was forced open by the ‘black ships’ of Commodore Matthew Perry in the late nineteenth century. Combined with other factors, this brought about the Meiji Restoration and the subsequent political and economic transformation of Japan turning it into a regional and eventually world power 19th and 20th century: movements for nationalism and independence emerged in many parts of the world including the Asia Pacific and South Asia; e.g. the global experiences of nationalist leaders such as Jose Rizal in the Philippines, who came to imagine themselves as Filipino after being influenced by life in Spain and elsewhere  Much of the rise in financial investment can also be attributed to the role of International Financial Institutions (IFIs), namely the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); while initially designed to help rebuild Europe, the World Bank and the IMF soon turned their attention to the developing world including Southeast Asia Economic globalization and liberalization has arguably had other broad regional effects as well: in developing countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, there has been an increase in informal employment such as self-employment, family workers, and informal enterprise workers; often these workers do not have legal contracts and even in places where they do, observers have raised serious concerns about working conditions and safety issues at factories that manufacture goods for Western companies  Politics has been a defining characteristic of globalization: in the region, the past three decades have witnessed a substantial fall in authoritarian regimes with a corresponding rise in democratic regimes (this has been attributed to a number of factors including rising middle classes, a more globally connected world, and the end of the Cold War) One of the most prevalent critiques of globalization has been its effects on ‘culture’: the idea that globalization is a form of cultural Westernization summed up in the term ‘McWorld; number of McDonalds stores in Asia has grown dramatically over the last several decades, from 1951 in 1987 to over 7,000 in 2002  McDonaldization might also be referred to as ‘MTV-ization’ or ‘Hollywoodization: also referred to changing tastes in areas such as music, clothing, television, and film; Western and particularly American cultural trends have spread globally and increasingly marginalize the way in which local cultural practices are expressed Many domestic fast food chains are also popping up throughout Asia to compete with Western brands including Jollibee in the Philippines, California Fried Chicken (CFC) in Indonesia, MOS Burger in Japan, Jumbo King in India, and so on Diets in Asia have been increasingly Westernized: 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 2. Generative View of Globalization: The Asia Pacific and South Asia as a Springboard The region is more of an autonomous agent serving as an engine for globalization: the region is also influencing and transforming the nature of globalization itself Some have argued that Asia, not the West, was the central global force in the early modern world economy: for much of the early modern era, it was the site of the world's most important trade routes and in some places more technologically advanced than the West in key areas such as science and medicine Japan: as a resource poor nation-state embarked on a massive project to procure raw materials such as coal and iron at unprecedented economies of scale allowing them to gain a competitive edge in the global manufacturing market.  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 China: can be seen as pursuing a similar pattern of development today, it is now one of the world's largest importers of basic raw materials such as iron and has surpassed Japan, the United States, and Europe in steel production (the simple scale of China's development is shaping and furthering globalization)  South Asia, in particular India: has opened up and emphasized an export-oriented strategy; textiles and other low wage sectors have been a key part of the economy, but high value exports such as software development have also been highly successful  India and China: have also become a major source of international migrant labor, which is also one of the fundamental characteristics of the era of globalization (this includes the migration of highly skilled labor into the high tech industry based in Silicon Valley, which includes a disproportionate number of immigrants from India and China)  Remittances from migrants: have also become a core source of income for many of the region's economies (in the Philippines, remittances are now equal to 11 per cent of the entire economy) In 2007, India, China, and the Philippines were three of the top four recipient states of migrant remittances totaling US$70 billion (the other country was Mexico) (Kee, Yoshimatsu and Osaki, 2010: 32). In other words, the region is both the source and recipient of the influences of the massive globalization of migration. Rise of regional free trade arrangements: this regionalism can be interpreted either as a kind of bulwark to globalization or as compatible and even pushing forward the process of global economic integration  Regionalism: can promote learning, assuage domestic audiences to the benefits of free trade, and form the institutional framework to scale up from regional cooperation to global cooperation ---can act as a springboard for globalization  Open regionalism: one of the distinguishing features of regional institutions in Asia Pacific and South Asia, which aims to develop and maintain cooperation with outside actors --embodied by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC (formed in 1989) and continues to push for a vision of regional cooperation that is consistent with and advances globalization --meant to resolve the tension between the rise of regional trade agreements and the push for global trade as embodied by the WTO Broad area of culture and globalization in the region: the region is the source of a wide variety of cultural phenomena that have also spread outward to the West and the rest of the world Example: there has been a regional and global rise in Korean popular culture dubbed the ‘K- Wave’ that includes the spread of Korean dramas as well as music (K-pop) the smash hit, ‘Gangnam Style’ by Korea pop star PSY, released in July 2012, the song and music video became a viral sensation on YouTube, topping music charts in over two dozen countries including France, Germany, Poland, Mexico, Australia, Norway, and Lebanon, and subsequently won Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards  Globalization has not been a one-way street. While there is little doubt that the Asia Pacific and South Asia have very much been on the receiving end of globalization, it is also true that the region is generative of many aspects of the globalization process. 3. The Anti-Global Impulse: Regional Alternative View of Globalization  The arguments from this perspective see the region as a source of resistance to globalization or to global or Western powers Example: Japan's colonization of the region and the building of a supposed East Asian Co- Prosperity Sphere merely replicated imperial relationships in East and Southeast Asia with new masters. However, it was also arguably a push back against Western imperialism. --Much of the propaganda during the time centered on the idea of ‘Asia for Asiatics’ and the need to ‘liberate’ the region from Europe. Concept of Asian values: Proponents of Asian values such as then-Prime Minister Mohamed Mahathir of Malaysia argued that Asia has culturally distinct characteristics that make it different from Western liberal democracies --'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; to exercise tolerance and sensitivity towards others' (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) --Asian way tend to respect authority, hard work , thrift, and emphasize the community over the individual (concepts such as individual rights, political liberalism, and democracy are Western concepts) Lens of regional arrangements: there are other institutions proposed or implemented at the regional level that are more exclusively and self-consciously ‘Asian’  Local movements in the region as an alternative to globalization: community currency is an example of a larger trend in self-suffi ciency movements that emerged in Thailand after the Asian financial crisis; related initiatives included associations such as traditional herbal practitioners, ‘self-sufficiency’ groups, community owned rice mills, and cooperative shops  Local production movements are also in line with the overall philosophy of being an alternative to being part of a globalized system Example: In Japan, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and the Seikatsu Club both encourage consumers to buy ethically and locally In India, LokSamiti group advocates local village level education and development and campaigns against the Coca Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj  Graded Group Report/Presentation Direction: Students will be grouped into five. Each group will be assigned an Asian country to research and report on. These groups will deliver 10- minute presentations on the contemporary foreign and economic policies of their respective countries. Group 1: Japan; Group 2: China; Group 3: Indonesia; Group 4: Singapore; Group 5: Philippines