Asian Affirmation and Islamic Resurgence

Asian Affirmation and Islamic Resurgence

Two civilizations that were challenging the theory of Western supremacy and stressing the importance of their own culture in relation to that of the West were the Asian and Islamic civilizations. Both the Asian culture and the Islamic religion entered a great stage of revival and expansion which led to an increase in their self-confidence. Asian self-confidence was the result of rapid economic growth and development while Islamic superiority resulted from its population growth.

Asian Affirmation dealt with the economic development of East Asia. It helped prove the wrong the idea that Asia lacked the incentive and the means to successfully become economically self-sufficient. Its origin was in Japan during the mid 1900s and led to Japan becoming the first economically prosperous non-Western country. By the end of the Twentieth Century the Asian Affirmation had moved through the region which consisted of the Four Tigers - Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore - and was beginning to spread throughout the other countries such as China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Huntington stated how the Asian economic growth in comparison to Western economic growth was much more rapid. “... it took Britain and the United States fifty-eight years and forty-seven years to double their per capita output, but Japan did it in thirty-three, Indonesia in seventeen, South Korea in eleven, and China in ten.” (Huntington, 1996, 103) This growth was in part due to Asia’s unique culture and its belief that its inhabitants led a better and more meaningful life than those who were members of the Western world. This newly found confidence to stand up to Western society instead of succum...

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...een dependent on the West later followed Japan and China and used its own culture to further its economic development.

In conclusion, both the Asian and the Islamic civilizations will continue to globally expand and each leave their own mark in history. Economic and social development in Asia will continue to flourish and lead to a further increase in the living conditions of the middle-class. Islam will continue to gain political power in world countries and reemphasize the idea that the solution to every problem lies within Islamic religion. Both civilizations in the end became more self-sufficient and self- confident in their dealings with the West.

Bibliography:

Huntington, Samuel P., 1996, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Mazrui, Ali A., 1990, Cultural Forces in World Politics, James Currey Ltd.