Make Way For The Rise Of Asia

EAST IS EAST AND WEST IS WEST. Do not use your western standard to measure us. We are totally different in many ways. Our culture, freedom of expression and perceptions are totally different. Do respect and understand. Try to shave off your colonial and imperialistic mentality. Arrogance and ignorance only make matters worse.

CHINA HAS A LONG WAY TO GO, NO NATION CAN CLAIM TO BE A CIVILISED COUNTRY UNTIL THEIR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS GUARANTEED. THE BIG BOSSES IN CHINA ARE NOT WILLING TO BADGE ON IT. .

It is all in the mind, and there is nothing that can stop one nation from overcoming their weaknesses to reboot the system of transparency and democracy that have been lost all these 8 years with Bush's gambling team. Ignorance was their main fuel by not being able to adapt to the new global status, develop new ideas and be universal. Racism is still deep rooted, universities still segragated, opportunities for the few and good luck for the AMERICAN DREAM. Uncle Sam wake up!!!!!!!

in fact, china now is chaotic and crazy. it is not as good as it seems. the housing and food price is soaring. many graduate couldn't find a job. the prise to China seems a sugar-coated pill.

there are many things to do before China becaming a powerful country.i think what we need mostly is a brand new thoughts featured with democracy and rule by law atfer believing so long time in confucianism.Effcience and justice and fair are as important as sympathy ,kindness and considerateness as far as the construction of a health society is concerned. after all the effective way is the best way.

Great article from Dean Mahbubani and referring the first comment I believe that the writer is also well aware of "diminishing marginal returns" or "economic maturity" concepts like you as these are not very difficult rocket science concepts. Have you ever thought of the changes will happen also in the military or technological power index when few other countries with almost half of the planet's population will become economically matured. Military and Technological superiority requires extensive investments and a culture of perseverance among people to study, learn and work and empirical studies show that students and researchers from Asian counties especially from China and India are now doing way better than others. Have you ever looked at the toppers at the Engineering and Science faculties of Worlds Top Universities and research centers.

I agreee with what the author presents as key facts, but i disagree with the conclusion. The US has been the dominant economy because of it's economic maturity. Asia is rising because it is economically immature. The old law of diminishing marginal returns is why the economic balance is changing. The rest of the world, the 'normal countries', are catching up to the US. China will surpass the US soon enough because it has 4 times the population of the US, not for any other reason. The US will be the world leader because we are the only military superpower, and will bo for the foreseeable future. As the author points out, the US is the country of choice for training. The reason for this is that we are the ones with the correct answers. The basic projection of US power is by exporting productive experience and values, not by military influence. The US has influenced Vietnam more after our military left than we did for the entire war there. The US has NOT invaded to stay or conquered any nation in it's history. The US has NOT expanded beyond Alaska and Hawaii for many, many decades. And even then Alaska and Hawaii had been US territiories for many decades. Even Puerto Rico hasn't become part of the US desipte decades of trying. Numerours countries are becoming Americanized even with little or no US military prescence.

The reason the US is on top is that we have what it takes to build a country. The US is 200 years old as a country, and about 400 years old as any kind of western civilization. We have taken a big piece of land with nothing more than a stone age population and built it into the most powerful country in history in a fraction of the time of Eurasian civilization. Wahtever the US is doing, we are doing it right. The rest of the world is still catching up. There is no isolationism spreading in this country. We have always been isolationist and protectionist. That is an integral part of the US society from the beginning. We grew because we isolated ourselves from the rest of the world for over a century.

The author freely admits that the US has been very liberal in exporting the most valuable item on the planet, the skills and knowledge to build a nation and a peaceful, productive society. Once we export that then any other protectionist action is irrelevant, because the countries that receive this knowledge can develop without needing anything else from us. Like many non-US scholars I have read, the author has many facts correct, but a major misunderstanding of what the US is about at heart, and why we are that way. Eventually the world will become more and more like the US not because of US power projection, but because it works better than anything else. If there were a better way to do things then the US would not be on top. As the rest of the world is finding out, nothing succeeds like success.

Dean Mahbubani is completely right. All pro-American people and countries around the world have been looking on in disbelief and dismay as the US antagonises the world and puts its foot in its mouth year after year. The US narrow minded and backward thinking attitude is fed nightly to the population on CNN by Lou Dobbs - he epitomises all that the US should NOT be saying and doing.