Political geography is the internal and external relationships between a continent’s various governments,
citizens, and territories. Asian governments and citizens have created
and responded to political and social change in ways that have
profoundly affected these relationships at both the local and
international level. As the continent continues to increase its
political and economic prominence, its policy decisions will hold
greater weight for the global community.
Historic Issues
One of the oldest and most intensely debated political disputes continues to be negotiated in the Levant,
an area in the eastern Mediterranean. The Levant, part of the Middle
East, has been continuously occupied for thousands of years by the
historic cultures of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel.
The Levant is sometimes called “The Holy Land.” This small region is spiritually important to followers of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. These are the three most populous and influential monotheistic religions in the world. All three faiths trace their origins to the Jewish patriarch Abraham. For this reason, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are known as the “Abrahamic religions.”
The
religious conflict between Abrahamic religions in the Levant has
endured for thousands of years. Christian leaders persecuted Jews in the
region during the late Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, European
Christians sent soldiers on crusades to conquer and convert the Levant’s
Muslim majority.
The most recent conflict in the Levant is
between Israel and neighboring nations. Israel, the only Jewish-majority
nation in the world, was established in 1948. Prior to 1948, the area
was a British colony called Palestine. Many non-Jewish natives identify
as Palestinians. Neighboring states—including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon,
and Egypt—accepted Palestinian immigrants and rejected the new Israeli
government.
Major wars plague
the region, including the Arab-Israeli War (1948), the Suez Crisis
(1956), the Six Day War (1967), and the Yom Kippur War (1973). Smaller
conflicts, including incidents of terrorism, are associated with Palestinian uprisings, or intifadas.
The First Intifada, which included nonviolent protests as well as armed
assaults, took place in the late 1980s. The Second Intifada took place
between 2000 and 2005.
The conflict in the Levant has resulted
in Israel creating two “Palestinian Territories” (the West Bank and
Gaza) within its boundaries. Treaties, such as the Camp David Accords
(which established a lasting peace treaty between Egypt and Israel) have
attempted to negotiate a lasting peace in the Levant.
The colonization of Southeast Asia is another example of how historic political geography can influence an entire region. Colonialism
is foreign political rule imposed on a people. Chinese, Japanese, and
European colonization of Southeast Asia lasted for more than 1,000
years. China, for instance, was the ruling power in Vietnam from about
110 BCE to 900 CE.
Colonial powers from Europe, the United
States, and Japan imposed their rule on Southeast Asian peoples from the
1500s to the mid-1940s. While these powers had distinct motives, they
were generally looking to expand their territory, increase trade, import
cheap raw materials, and impose their cultural practices.
The Dutch and British established extremely powerful companies that
oversaw trade and labor in their respective colonies. The Dutch East
India Company, based in Indonesia, had the power to print its own money
and engage in war. They enforced harsh labor practices on local peoples,
who worked to collect lucrative spices and extract precious metals. These resources were then sold in Europe.
Spanish
and Portuguese colonists spread the Roman Catholic faith by converting
indigenous peoples, especially in the Philippines. The French used their
military to maintain control of their colonies, resulting in the deaths
of hundreds of thousands of people.
The countries of Southeast
Asia are now independent. However, their economies, politics, and
culture still maintain aspects of the colonial period. For instance, the
Vietnamese language is written with the Roman alphabet, not the glyphs, ideograms,
or indigenous alphabets of neighboring Asian nations. This is because
the written Vietnamese language was established by the French, who use a
Roman alphabet.
As with the colonial period, Asia was deeply
affected by World War II and its aftermath. Japan was the most
devastated Asian country in terms of loss of life and physical
destruction. However, it also experienced a record period of economic
growth after the war. Investment from the United States and innovative
economic restructuring by the Japanese government stimulated this
growth.
Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry coordinated partnerships, known as
keiretsu,
between manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and banks in order to
streamline industry. The ministry also created a strong export economy,
focusing on technology industries that still define Japan’s global
image. Capital was invested in Japan’s infrastructure, especially in
efficient transportation systems, communications, and technology.
Japan’s intense public and private investment increased its gross domestic product (GDP) from $91 billion in 1965 to more than $1 trillion in 1980.
Current Issues
India’s
and China’s economic growth has been profound in the last 20 years.
Both countries have removed government controls, increased foreign
trade, and built strong export-based economies. This economic growth has
had both positive and negative effects.
China has the world’s
fastest-growing economy, increasing 10 percent annually for the past 30
years. This is largely because China is the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of goods. As a result of this growth, wages have increased rapidly, giving Chinese workers a better standard of living. More Chinese people have access to excellent health care, electricity,
and education. China has a strong presence in international politics
and influences important debates, such as those surrounding terrorism
and climate change. China has used its newfound wealth to invest around
the world. China has invested billions of dollars in Nigeria, for
instance, to extract oil. Predicted to
be the world’s largest economy in the coming decades, China’s economic
decisions will greatly affect how and where future development occurs
around the globe.
But China’s rapid growth has caused a number of
social, environmental, and economic problems. Rapid industrial growth
in the cities has impoverished rural workers, who must migrate to
congested urban areas to find jobs. Industrial activity has put stress
on the country’s energy and transportation systems and degraded air,
water, and soil quality. Industrial growth also has major implications
for global climate change, as China is the world’s largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions.
India’s growth has been drastically different from China’s. India is a democracy, while China is a totalitarian
state. This means that social and political reforms are debated more
openly in India, and change is often more difficult because power
resides in coalitions instead of one political party.
Unlike China, India’s growth is largely a result of its rapidly growing service industry—not its manufacturing sector. In particular, India has become a major exporter of information technology
services. Its telecommunications industry, which focuses on phone and
Internet services, added more than 200 million subscribers in 2010. The
country also hosts seven of the world’s top technology outsourcing companies, which rely heavily on India’s highly educated, English-speaking population.
India’s growth has caused hourly wages to double during the past decade, bringing more than 430 million Indians out of poverty
and creating an immense middle-class population. Much like China,
India’s urban infrastructure and global influence have also improved.
Despite
this economic growth, India remains socioeconomically divided. India
still has the world’s largest concentration of people living in extreme
poverty—below $1.25 per day. The difference in revenue between India’s
more industrialized states and its poorer agricultural states has
widened substantially. Much like China, India’s urban infrastructure,
education, and health systems are having difficulty adjusting to the
large number of poor, rural migrants moving into cities.
In
Asia’s Arab region, conservative governments are under pressure from
their citizens and the international community to enable political,
economic, and social reform. While authoritarian rulers control the
majority of these countries, their citizens broadly support democracy.
In the so-called “Arab Spring” of 2011,
social and political groups across the region staged armed protests
calling for democratic reform. Governments have responded to these
protests with both military force and political compromise. Syria and
Jordan exemplify this political change in Arab Asia.
Protesters in Syria called for the legalization of political parties, the removal of corrupt
officials, and the repeal of Emergency Law, which allows arrests
without charge. In response to the protests, the Syrian government
launched military campaigns to repress protesters. These campaigns have
killed more than 450 people. Hundreds of Syrians have been jailed. The
international community has responded by placing economic and political sanctions on the Syrian government.
Jordanians
have staged weekly protests against corruption, rising prices, poverty,
and unemployment. King Abdullah has responded to these protests by
replacing his prime minister and forming the National Dialogue
Committee. Made up of both government officials and opposition leaders,
the committee is in charge of drafting reforms, including new laws for
elections and political parties.
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