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2011 Asia and Africa today

 

REVOLT IN THE ARABIAN WORLD: SEEDS AND SPROUTS

CHINA ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE 12TH FIVE- YEAR PLAN by E.S.Bazhenova, Dr.Sc. (Economy)
Keywords: People’s Republic of China, 11th Five-year plan (2006-2010), 12th Five-year plan (2011-2015)
The article contains the basic theses of reports presented at the annual scientific conference hold in the Center of Economic and Social Researches of the Institute of the Far Eastern Studies (of the Russian Academy of Sciences). The participants have discussed the results of social and economic development in China during the 11th Five-year plan (2006-
2010) and the perspectives of development for the next 12th five-year period.

MIDDLE EAST ON ITS WAY TO THE NEW BALANCE OF POWER? by A.M.Visotsky
Keywords: USA, Middle East, balance of power, revolutions, Islamism, multi-polarity
Both internal and external reasons force Middle East to open a new page in its history. Revolutions in Egypt and Tunis, civil war in Libya, destabilization in Yemen and Syria are accompanied by a dramatic shift in the regional policy of major external actors - first of all, the United States.
Washington revaluates its liabilities in the region in order to reduce them. This fact opens the door for changing the
«balance of forces» in the Middle East. The question is - who will form this new balance? The answer still remains unclear. Outside the region there are no valid «poles» of power, while the Arabic world faces an unprecedented growth of instability. Such tendencies could reveal the potential of some new actors.

EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION-2011 by A.V.Korotayev, Dr.Sc. (History) and Ju.B. Zinkina, part 2 (see part 1 in “Azia i Afrika Segodnya”, 2011, № 6)
Keywords: Egypt, Mubarak, social explosion, the TahrirSquare
It is not surprising that Mubarak’s administration “overlooked” the social explosion. Indeed, statistical data righteously claimed that the country was developing very successfully. Economic growth rates were high (during the world crisis). Poverty and inequality levels were among the lowest in the Third World. Global food prices were rising, but the government was taking serious measures to mitigate their effect on the poorest layers of the population. Unemployment level (in per cent wise) was less than in many developed countries of the world and, moreover, was declining. What could be the grounds to expect a full-scale social explosion? Of course, the administration had a sort of reliable information on the presence of certain groups of dissident “bloggers”, but how could one expect that they would be able to inspire great masses of people to go to the Tahrir Square? It was even more difficult to expect that Mubarak’s regime would be painfully struck by its own modernization successes of the 1980s, which led to the sharp decline of death rate and especially of infant and child mortality in 1975-1990. Without these successes many young Egyptians vehemently demanding Mubarak’s resignation (or even death) would have been destined to die in early childhood and simply would not have survived to come out to the Tahrir Square.

DELHI COMES OUT AGAINST THE USE OF FORCE by F.N.Yurlov, Dr.Sc. (History)
Keywords: India, foreign policy, Arabian world
Delhi has taken of a cautious position regarding the last developments in the Arabian world (Tunis, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya and Syria). It’s a general approach of this country to foreign policy problems. It has abstained from voting in the Security Council of the UN on March 17th,
2011 on the resolution № 1973. Delhi is demonstrating extremely negative attitude toward military campaign against Libya which, from Indian point of view, is dragging on for too long.

INDIA. RELIGION, DEMOGRAPHY AND THE POLICY by S.A.Gorokhov, PhD (Geography)
Keywords: India, religion, communalism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Jainism
The population of India (1, 2 billion people) professes six basic religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism. Political and economic rivalry of various religious groups often takes the form of municipal communalism.
The ideas of communalism, directed at decrease of the status of religious minority, are dangerous for multinational and multiconfessional countries. The principles of democracy and secularism incorporated in the Constitution of the country, should, in opinion of the author, become those pillars of statehood which will make it possible to keep the territorial integrity and cultural unity of nations and religious communities.

HOW RUSSIA COULD USE MIGRATORY POTENTIAL OF VIETNAM by S.V.Ryazantsev, Dr.Sc. (Economy), N.G.Kuznetsov, PhD (Economy), part 2 (see part 1 in “Azia i Afrika Segodnya”, 2011, № 6)
Keywords: Vietnam, Russia, labor migration
In the second part of their research, devoted to the analysis of tendencies of the Vietnamese migration to Russia, authors is giving a number of recommendations which could be useful for the Russian authorities which deal with the problems of migrant working force from Vietnam.

MIGRATION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES AND NATIONAL PROBLEMS IN CHINA by T.V.Lazareva, PhD (History)
Keywords: interethnic relations, interethnic conflicts, migration of labor force
The People’s Republic of China is the country where only one nationality is dominating. According to official data, Hanzu (Chinese proper) make more than 91% of the whole population and also play a dominating role in political, economic and cultural life of the country.
The author is analyzing the character of relation between Hanzu and national minorities, the peculiarities of national policy of China.

IS THERE AN INFORMATION SOCIETY IN AFRICA? by K.A.Pantserev, PhD (Philology)
Keywords: the information society, information technologies, Tropical Africa
Today the world is entering an essentially new epoch in which the information and knowledge is achieving a defining role in social and economic development of a modern society. It is accepted to name a new emerging system of public relations informational, postindustrial or network, and all states aspires to its construction.
The author dwells on key peculiarities of development of an information society in the countries of Tropical Africa which have proclaimed the creation of new technologies as one of their basic national priorities.

THE ETHIOPIAN CROSSROADS by G.A.Balashova, PhD (Philology)
Keywords: Ethiopia, theatrical art
Ethiopian theatrical art originated in the ancient times but it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the theatre of a modern type appeared. There are 8 active theatres in Addis-Ababa today, the oldest of which are the Patriotic and the National theatres. The plays staged in them reflect complicated political, economic, social and especially confessional situation, attempts of Islamists to draw the ancient Christian state into their camp. These and other themes have become the subject matter of the dramatic art and literary works of the Ethiopian authors today.

ISRAEL: THE CRISES OF COFIDENCE IN THE MILITARY-POLITICAL LEADERSHIP by S.A.Kozhe- urov
Keywords: Israel, General Staff, army, political system
The long and torturous process of changing military higher headquarters, the Chief of Stuff included, is taking place in Israel. This process highlighted not only the strained relations within Israel’s General Stuff but also demonstrated the obvious fact that a deeply rooted crisis, both military and political exists.
The author has come to conclusion that there was a kind of military putsch against the democratically elected government.

CHINA AND AFRICA: ECONOMIC RELATIONS by R.I.Tomberg
Keywords: People’s Republic of China, Africa, economy, investment, raw materials, international crisis
The economy of modern China needs to obtain new commodity markets, new investment fields and stable raw materials supply. Cooperation with Africa helps to solve partially those problems. China provides the African countries with concessional lending, technical and economic assistance. Therefore Chinese companies enjoy customs and other preferences.
Political tensions in the continent have failed to lessen Beijing’s desire to boost cooperation with Africa in different spheres and invest there more and more billion dollars. China relies a lot on cooperation with African countries in its global economic strategy.

THE SOVIET UNION AND THE CONGOLESE CRISIS. 1960-1963 by S.V.Mazov, Dr.Sc. (History) part 2, (part 1 in “Azia i Afrika Segodnya”, 2011, № 6)
Keyword: Soviet foreign policy, Cold war, Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Referring to archive documents the author asserts that Congo has never had a high priority in the list of Soviet geopolitical interests.

JAPANESE TRADITIONS IN CONTEXT OF PRESENT TIME by M.P.Gerasimova, PhD (Philology) Keyword: Japan, traditions and present time, arts
During more half a century Japan has been perceived all over the world as one of the most advanced countries in application of the newest technologies, as well as a country which has managed to the greatest degree to preserve national originality and the national traditions.
The article gives an account about how in the Country of the Rising Sun the advanced technologies are applied not only in manufacture, construction and design, but also in traditional genres of art.

MEMORY OF VIETNAM by I.I.Ivanov
The review of A.S.Zaytseva’s book «Memory of Vietnam» which successfully supplemented the series of other books published in 2010 in connection with the 60-th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Vietnam.

Summary