Asian Politics and Development
Asia is the largest and most populated continent on Earth, and includes some of the areas of the world which are going through the most dramatic political and cultural changes. While Asia has been considered a distinct continent through much of its history, some geographers do not consider it a distinct land mass but rather a part of Eurasia. Even though it has no distinct boundaries, one reason why Asia is normally seen as a separate continent is because it is culturally distinctive from the rest of Eurasia in many ways.
It is not easy to generalise when talking about Asian politics and development, as it is such a huge place and consists of many different cultures and nations. There are some unifying political trends though that are helping outsiders to understand exactly how Asia is likely to develop in the 21st century.
The forces of globalisation are affecting Asian societies and economies in a big way, and all Asian countries are being influenced by the west both politically and socially. The communist nations of Asia have definitely been affected by the democratic and capitalist ideals of the west and some countries are having to find new ways to integrate these two ideologies of democracy and communism. Globalisation and the deregulation of global economies have also meant that Asian nations are more involved in international trade than ever before, and this too is affecting the economic prosperities of all nations involved.
Asia has the third largest gross domestic product (GDP) of all continents after North America and Europe. Within Asia it is China leading the way in terms of GDP with India, Japan and South Korea following behind. Japan has had the largest per capita economy in Asia for a long time, but it is forecast that the Peoples Republic of China will surpass it in the next decade. India is also forecast to overtake Japan by 2020 and is another country in the region going through much economic and social development. China is especially relevant as they are going through what is perhaps the biggest political and cultural changes in the entire region.
It is impossible to talk about the development and political changes in Asia without making specific reference to the Peoples Republic of China. China is the most populous nation on Earth by a long way and Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world. China has always had a rather inward looking social and economic policy, but now with the undeniable forces of globalisation China seems ready to integrate with the rest of the world. Capitalism is having a huge impact on China and watching how the Chinese government and people incorporate it into their communist ideals will be very interesting indeed.
Asian political values are almost as varied as the different Asian peoples are, there are democratic nations, communist nations, those who embrace capitalism and those who are not quite so sure. Only time will tell exactly what is in store for Asia as it develops in contrast and in parallel with the other nations of the Earth.