Essay: Impact of security on Asian development / Is the 21st century the ‘Asian Century’?

SHORT ESSAYS
Discuss the impact of security on Asian development.  Choose two Asian countries and discuss their security in a global context.
South Korea is an interesting case for security because they constantly worry about their neighbors. Since the Korean War that ended in 1953, there has been a 250 km demilitarized zone acting as a buffer between North and South Korea. Tensions are always high between the Koreas especially with North Korean nuclear missile tests. South Korea is hesitant to improve relations with China and Japan, and because of this, its main ally is the United States. South Korea delegates a lot of its resources to security and defense, and there is always the possibility of attack from one of its big neighbors. The conflict between North and South Korea is globally important because if a war broke out, there are big superpowers such as the US, China, and Russia that are not all on the same side. It is important to maintain security in South Korea in order to prevent another massive World War. [13]
Afghanistan is another country of interest in regards to security because of the Taliban and other terrorist groups originating from this country. This is a huge issue for global security because terrorist attacks can happen anytime as well as anywhere in the world. These terrorist attacks pose a threat to every country, and hinder the progression of Afghanistan as well as Asian development. The Taliban control most of modern day Afghanistan, and much of the country has been a warzone for many years. The security of Afghanistan is important in a global context because if the terrorist groups are not stopped or at least controlled, they could wreck havoc on the world. [14]
What countries are the major actors in Asia? Why are they considered major powers and how did they achieve that status?
The major actors in Asia are Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, and India. The main reason for this is their large populations and the fact they are developed nations. China has been a long time major player in Asia and dominated much of East Asia due to its huge population and access to trade with the west using the Silk Road. China has the largest population and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and it is soon going to surpass the United States and become #1 in economic power. Because of its large population and land area, China has easy access to lots of resources as well as cheap labor. Because of the cheap labor and land area, China became a gem for large foreign companies to have headquarters. Starting in the 20th century, Japan also became another important player because of its huge economic expansion and westernization. Today, Japan boasts one of the highest GDP’s in the world and is well known for its automobile and computer/electronic exports. Russia and South Korea both became major actors in Asia for different reasons. Russia became a huge power during the Cold War with the United States. During the war, the Soviet Union’s economy exploded as it competed with the United States in an arms and space race. South Korea became a large power following the Korean War due to rapid development and since has become a model for other developing countries. South Korea and Japan are also considered big world powers because of their ties with the United States. These countries have a westernized view and are almost like a buffer zone between the United States and the Communist countries China and Russia. The last major power in Asia is India. India boasts the second largest population in the world and is gaining power similar to China. India’s economy is rapidly growing, and in 2015, India had the fastest growing GDP in the world. Another important factor in the future is the country’s age demographic. About half of its population is below the age of 25, and this will lead to a large workforce in the future decades. [15][16]
Is the model of governance in Asia converging towards the Western liberal model and what impact does/could this have on Asian cultures and traditions? Compare and contrast two Asian examples.  Use the terminology of good governance.
China is moving towards a more liberal west model, and this could have an effect on Chinese culture and traditions. In 2012, there was an election in China similar to what is seen in typical democracies. This could affect their traditions because people are not used to voting, and it could greatly affect the culture because society enjoys more freedoms with a democratic style government. Democratic style governments generally are less corrupt and could lead to better leadership in China. A second Asian country of interest is North Korea. Many people in the west view North Korea as the stereotypical communist style government. North Korea is very communist and is not moving towards the western liberal model anytime soon. This style of government is very corrupt and does not allow for freedom of speech or press. North Korea is famous for headlining news that is not necessarily true, and they twist news articles and reports to say the best about North Korea and ignoring all the downfalls.  This impacts the culture of North Korea because people are very nationalistic and will do anything for their leader. Their traditions have been deeply rooted and are in place to worship the supreme leader. China and North Korea are similar in the sense that they are both communist, but in China there are free and fair elections versus the next in line for supreme leader in North Korea. China follows some rules of good governance, but North Korea breaks almost all of them. [17][18][19]
LONG ESSAY
Many scholars and politicians have referred to the 21st century as the Asian Century.  Do you agree or disagree with this assessment and why? [While your analysis is required, your answer must be based on facts.]
The 21st century is considered the Asian Century by many scholars and politicians, and for a good reason. Much of Asia has seen explosive economic growth and there is great potential for even more growth. More than half of the world population currently lives in Asia (4.4 billion to 7.6 billion), and it has access to large amounts of land and labor. With the large amount of land comes a large amount of natural resources. It is important to note that China and India are not the only superpowers gaining strength. Countries such as Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia all have fast growing GDP’s. The 21st century will be the Asian century because of its large land area, large population, militaristic growth, and explosive GDP growth throughout all countries in Asia.
Asia’s landmass contains about 30% of the world’s land surface area with the largest shares from China and Russia. Because of the huge availability of land, there is large room for economic expansion. Asian companies are easily able to headquarter new large businesses in the vast area of land. China and India combined have about 35% of the world’s population at 2.7 billion, and that number is only expected to rise. These 2 countries have extreme access to labor, which could fuel the Asian economy. While the large population is mostly viewed as beneficial to Asia, it also contains much of the world’s poor population. In Asia, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. It is estimated that about 0.5 billion people in Asia do not have access to safe drinking water, and the infant mortality rate is high compared to other countries. Sure, the Asian economy might be growing at an exponential rate, but the gap is increasing and illiteracy and unemployment will be a big issue for Asian countries. If there is a solution to the widespread poverty, it will be much easier for the 21st century to be the Asian century. [20]
Asia has seen rapid militaristic growth in the 21st century. In the last 2 years China has raised its military spending 7% and 8% respectively to a total of $175 billion. India is also in a similar situation increasing military spending by 7% to a total of $62 billion. The Asian superpowers are increasing their military spending in an attempt to modernize their military to be on par with the United States. The vast modernization of the Asian superpower’s militaries marks another reason the 21st century will be the Asian century. Eventually, the Asian militaries will be able to spend more money on their military than the United States and other western countries, and the western dominance will be less felt. Another important factor to note is the fact that the large Asian superpowers also have ready access to more men in the case of war. Assuming resources and skills are relatively equal from one man to the next, having more people in the military will benefit the country with the higher population. Explosive GDP growth in Asia is also a cause for many scholars and politicians to argue that the 21st century is the Asian century. In 2016, China and India increased their GDP by 6.7% and 7.1%, respectively, compared to a weak 1.6% from the United States. These growth levels will lead to both countries surpassing the US economy. It is projected that by 2027 the Chinese economy will surpass the United States, and in the later half of the 21st century, India will surpass China. Another country with explosive economic growth to note is Indonesia. Currently it holds the 8th spot in the world for GDP, but it is projected to be #4 in 2050 behind the United States. Asia will have the largest share of the world’s economy by 2050 and it will only increase from there further leading to an assumption that the 21st century will be the Asian century.  [21][22]
From further examination of the large population, land mass, military spending, and GDP growth in Asia, it is obvious that the 21st century will be the Asian century. Western power is on the decline, and in the near future society may be forced to start saying “Eastern power” instead of western power that has been the social norm for decades.
Definitions
State – A form of political association. A good example is seen in the United States with each state having a separate political association. [1]
Nationalism- Nationalism is loyalty to one’s nation. It is basically having pride for your country and fully supporting your country over others. [2]
Ethnic Nationalism- Ethnic nationalism is basically a nation defined by ethnicity. This ethnicity can either be a common language, culture, religion, etc. [3]
Development- Development is a country improving its infrastructure, economy, living standards, etc. A country is considered developed if it has a high standard of living and has a solid economy. [4]
United Nations- The United Nations is a global group of states or countries that come together to solve common global challenges. It was established after World War 2 and has 193 countries in it today. [5]
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)- A group of 10 Southeast Asian countries originally founded to integrate the economics, politics, military, and education. ASEAN has tried to integrate more countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India with ASEAN plus three integration. [6]
APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation)- A group created to promote trade between Asia and the Americas through the Pacific. There are 21 members currently, and facilitates the movement of goods, services, and people. [7]
SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization)- A relatively new group in Asia containing 8 countries originally created to demilitarize borders and now focuses on economic cooperation between the member states. [8]
World Bank- The World Bank is a global financial institution that provides loans to countries, and it contains 2 programs- The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development as well as the International Development Association. [9]
Asian Development Bank (ADB)- A bank that was founded in 1966 in the Philippines to promote social and economic development in Asia. It was modeled after the World Bank and has 67 members. [10]
WTO (World Trade Organization)- The World Trade Organization was created in 1995 and regulates global trade. It contains 164 countries and handles trade disputes and facilitates cooperation between other international organizations. [11]
East Asia Summit- It is a annual forum with 16 original countries and recently Russia and the United States. It is essentially a broader version of the ASEAN plus three and the APEC groups, and there has been conflict with some countries questioning the significance of the EAS. [12]