The Asian Century?: Meeting American Decline Face to Face

[marmar]

from Tom Dispatch:



Obama in Asia
Meeting American Decline Face to Face

By Juan Cole


Blocked from major new domestic initiatives by a Republican victory in the midterm elections, President Barack Obama promptly lit out for Asia, a far more promising arena. That continent, after all, is rising, and Obama is eager to grasp the golden ring of Asian success.

Beyond being a goodwill ambassador for ten days, Obama is seeking sales of American-made durable and consumer goods, weapons deals, an expansion of trade, green energy cooperation, and the maintenance of a geopolitical balance in the region favorable to the United States. Just as the decline of the American economy hobbled him at home, however, the weakness of the United States on the world stage in the aftermath of Bush-era excesses has made real breakthroughs abroad unlikely.

Add to this the peculiar obsessions of the Washington power elite, with regard to Iran for instance, and you have an unpalatable mix. These all-American fixations are viewed as an inconvenience or worse in Asia, where powerful regional hegemons are increasingly determined to chart their own courses, even if in public they continue to humor a somewhat addled and infirm Uncle Sam.

Although the United States is still the world’s largest economy, it is shackled by enormous public and private debt as well as fundamental weaknesses. Rivaled by an increasingly integrated European Union, it is projected to be overtaken economically by China in just over a decade. While the president’s first stop, India, now has a nominal gross domestic product of only a little over a trillion dollars a year, it, too, is growing rapidly, even spectacularly, and its GDP may well quadruple by the early 2020s. The era of American dominance, in other words, is passing, and the time (just after World War II) when the U.S. accounted for half the world economy, a dim memory. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175319/tomgram%3A_juan_cole%2C_the_asian_century/#more (the story follows a brief intro)

[Turbineguy]

1. The Asians will be OK

as long as they do not adopt the methods taught in American business schools.

[exboyfil]

2. What methods are those?

I got a MBA from a regional university in the 1990s, and we were not taught to engage in casino like activities. In fact assessment of risk was an essential part of our courses in finance.

We were taught about fiduciary duty to our stockholders and also to consider the other stakeholder groups. We were taught to treat employees with dignity. We had courses in Law, Ethics, and Psychology along with our Management, Accounting, Finance, and Economics courses.

I don't remember every being taught to outsource.

One thing to look at in Asian universities (especially China and India) is the number of students in the more vocational majors (engineering, science, medicine) when compared to the more liberal arts type majors that we find in this country.

[Cassandra]

5. I had a liberal arts major...

and an MBA.

[exboyfil]

6. I think China and India's emphasis on technical over the

humanities/arts may be a potential area of strength for the U.S. Something along the line of Richard Florida's "The Rise of the Creative Class". I have worked to ensure that my two daughter's have two periods open for Music and Art at the High School every year. It is very difficult to accomplish this goal given that five of seven periods are already spoken for (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Foreigh Languages). They need to figure out how to fit five and a half math classes (Algebra, Geometry, AlgII&Trig, PreCalculus, Calculus, and 1/2 year Statistics) into their High School experience. They also have potentially seven science classes (Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and Anatomy/Physiology/Microbiology) they should take on their road to becoming doctors. The kids would also like to get in Video Editing and Creative Writing. Add in vocational experience like becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant - it leads to very tight scheduling.

I kind of wish I had gone into History or a pure Science instead of Engineering. I have enjoyed my career, but my interests do lay elsewhere. I am Homeschooling my youngest in English and Social Studies this year, and I am enjoying it very much.

[Turbineguy]

7. Have you seen this?

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/HFrame.html

I think that we would be better off with what used to be called a "classical education" prior to technical training. As an Engineer, I had to do it backwards and I'm still working on it.

[exboyfil]

8. I think judicious selection of electives along with

your personal study can give the important elements of a classical education. It is unfortunate but I don't see how you can be an engineer without doing the coursework required in an ABET program. Engineers already plan on 4 1/2 to 5 years to complete the program.

I think an important component is getting a good education in High School. I would put my Honors English class up against any other class I ever took in High School. I don't mind the Bs I got - they were earned and that course did more to prepare me for college than any other of my courses.

[MedicalAdmin]

3. They won't adopt our methods. The corps have learned that democracy

Cuts into profits. They don't need elections to reap/rape profits.

[leveymg]

4. But, we won't.