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I was born in the midwestern United States and have lived in the midwest for nearly all of my 61 years. The New Asian Hemisphere is pretty critical of the United States and the European Union for thwarting attempts of the rest of the world to improve themselves and, at times, missing opportunities to sprinkle assistance in a manner that would be helpful. Having had a few friends from parts of the world other than the USA, I have learned to realize that our way is not the only way to think or act. We can learn from smart people and from interesting cultures around the world. We also push for western-style democracies in exchange for aid or free trade, but not necessarily in countries where we benefit from oil access or other benefits. We are impatient with the slow democratic changes in other countries, forgetting that it took about 150 years after 1776 to give women the right to vote in US, and one could argue a figure of 100-200 years for minorities to have real rights.
All that having been said, the world tends to want to move to greater openness in government, more citizen input into their respective lives, and greater economic achievements--all areas that have been cultivated in the USA and European Union. To me this is the greatest challenge in the conclusions in "The New Asian Hemisphere." I concur that we need to respect others more fully and try to understand the benefits in knowledge and culture that the rest of the world brings. While we are in a period where particularly the USA has many nay-sayers in the world, much of the world wants to be like us, particularly in having a voice in their governments, personal freedoms, and improved economic prosperity.
It's a complicated world, making the writing and reading of "The New Asian Hemisphere" a challenge. While some conclusions in the book are overly simplistic, in my opinion, I acknowledge that drawing any meaningful conclusions in a written document are a challenge.
- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1 edition (April 28, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1586486713
- ISBN-13: 978-1586486716
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Customer Reviews: 33 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#1,486,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2444 in International Relations (Books)
- #2088 in Asian History (Books)
- #2495 in Globalization & Politics
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