num_pages: 305
description: A variety of confluent events has given rise to the notion of an impending "Asian century", whereby the Asian-Pacific region is portrayed as supplanting America as the center of gravity for world affairs. This manifest destiny is based principally on the expectation that the high growth rates registered by the Asian "tiger" economies will continue and eventually spread to other countries in the region. Western institutions, by contrast, are viewed as being in irreversible decline due to moral decay and economic stagnation. Christopher Lingle challenges this view in his new book. He argues that the "Asian century" concept is the brainchild of a diverse set of observers, some of whom are motivated by their vested interests in having the prophecy become reality. Others, he contends, are simply uninformed. He points out that many of institutions credited with the "miracle" performance of East Asian economies cannot withstand close scrutiny. Their short-term virtue can be shown to be long-term vice, irreparably harming the region's prospects for sustainable economic and social progress. The coming period should neither be considered the end of an "American century" nor the beginning of an "Asian century". Instead, it should be constructively regarded as the dawn of a "global millennium", in which an increasingly internationalized economy will raise the living standards of even greater numbers of people.
language: English
title: The Rise and Decline of the Asian Century: False Starts on the Path to the Global Millennium
titlecomplete: The Rise and Decline of the Asian Century: False Starts on the Path to the Global Millennium
ratings_count: 2
publisher: Bookworld Services