Sunday, October 31, 2010

West Uneasy About Shift in Balance of World Power

China's rise is forcing its neighbors to forge alliances to defend their interests, says this New York Times article. Good, and expected. Now comes the familiar US-centric view: A whirl of deal-making and diplomacy, from Tokyo to New Delhi, is giving the United States an opportunity to reassert itself in a region where its eclipse by China has been viewed as inevitable.
The Americans are seeing the nascent revival in intra-Asian politics as a way to reassert their power in the region. Come on, NYT. Stop behaving like the colonial British.
That age is over when you could sit in Washington and call the shots easily. Of course, you may still call the shots, but it is becoming difficult day after passing day.
This reminds me of an ancient astrological theory -- that political and economic superiority with move across the face of planet Earth over a period of time -- from the east/Asia to Europe, the New World, to East Asia and finally back to India.
I think right now what we are seeing is that power, both economic and political, is moving definitely from the New World to East Asia.
As Indians, we should prepare ourselves for this great opportunity and also be sure that China, with a political system that can be hijacked easily by a potential dictator, is not allowed a free run
in such a scenario.