Northeast Asia and the World-System
Abstract There is a significant difference between politics and geo-politics. Politics is about the existential present. Geopolitics is about the structural constraints that govern, over a medium run, the interplay of the longer-term political and economic interests of the major players in the world system. Geopolitical trends are not found in the headlines. Indeed they are largely hidden from the view of the political actors. The geopolitics of the world system nonetheless shapes the short-term actions of political agents, quite often without them even being aware of it. The single most important geopolitical change at the moment is the precipitate decline of the world-systemic power of the United States. The world-system has moved from a situation of creeping multipolarity to one of undisguised multipolarity. If we are to imagine them as a singular locus of geopolitical power in the coming decades the first question that is posed is whether or not there will be some sort of reunification of the two Chin...
How Globalization Will Change Japan-China Trading Patterns
China has achieved rapid economic development since it adopted the reform and open-door policy in 1979. It has steadily expanded its economic presence in the world, and in the second quarter of 2002 exports from China accounted for 5.6 percent of total world exports. The United States now imports more from China than from Japan, while Japan imports more from China than from the United States. China’s Asian neighbors have also started to benefit from this growth. Exports from Asian economies to China increased dramatically in 2002, reflecting China’s high growth rate and the reduction of tariffs. South Korea and Taiwan both registered substantial growth in the areas of general machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, and consumer durables, including mobile telephones and notebook computer exports. There were also dramatic increases in exports of general machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, mineral fuels and chemical products from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economies to China. The expansion of trading relationships within the East Asian region will lay the foundations for regional economic integration in the future. China’s admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) will lead to accelerated restructuring of its domestic economy and is also expected to strengthen China’s influence on the world economy. A number of factors point to a growing role for China as a demand absorber in the future. First, expanding foreign investment will lead to the formation of divisions of labor between China and its East Asian neighbors. Second, rising income levels will lead to increased demand for imported goods. Third, development imports are expected to expand, especially in the area of resources. There have been dramatic changes in the import and export mix between Japan
‘There is no race so wretched that there is not something out there that cares for them’: Multiculturalism, understanding, empathy and prejudice in Discworld
Multiculturalism is at the heart of Mel Gibson’s chapter. Arguing that stories situated in Ankh-Morpork, Discworld’s major capital and the focal point of many Discworld stories, in particular deal with the opportunities, problems and, sometimes, sheer craziness associated with multi- and cross-cultural debates and realities, Gibson draws on European models of multiculturalism. She analyses how, alongside debating the nature of prejudice and oppression, the City Watch stories in particular explore ways in which a multicultural space may work.