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2014 Asia and Africa today

“DELHI CONSENSUS” - THE INDIAN MODEL OF ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION by N.V.Galishcheva, Dr.Sc. (Economics)
Keywords: India, economic liberalization, “Delhi consensus”
The article deals with the main characteristics of the author’s idea - “Delhi consensus” - the suggested model of liberal economic reforms in India during 1990-2000-s (by analogy with the neoliberal “Washington consensus” and carried out in China - “Beijing consensus”). The article also presents statistical data, that characterize the state of contemporary Indian economy.

WILL THE ARROWS OF «ABENOMICS» HIT THE TARGET? by D.V.Streltsov, Dr.Sc. (History). Part 1
Keywords: «abenomics», «three arrows», inflation, consumption tax, integrated tax reform, economic growth, market fundamentalism
This article contains a comprehensive analysis of the economic policy of the Japanese government, dubbed
«abenomics” by the name of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. A special attention is paid to the issue of raising the consumer tax, which becomes a key instrument for settling the problem of imbalance of Japan’s public finances. The author concludes that abenomics is quite a risky economic and regulatory tool.

SOUTH CHINA SEA: INDIA’S «WINDOW» IN APR by N.B.Lebedeva, PhD (History). Part 2
Keywords: China, India, Asia-Pacific, South China Sea, ASEAN, disputed territories, navy
The paper examines the main aspects of the Indian Eastern politics - a geographically peripheral country to the Pacific, but already taking active part in the Asia-Pacific region (APR).
The South China Sea became the important “window” of India’s eastward advancement. It is not an easy region because of territorial disputes between littoral states. For a number of different reasons India found itself involved of those disputes.

THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ROLE OF THE MILITARY IN THE CHINESE SOCIETY by L.V.Zabrovskaya, Dr.Sc. (History), Vladivostok
Keywords: China, the People’s Liberation Army, Hu Jintao, Xi Jinping, military
The article by Dr. Larisa Zabrovskaya “The Social and Political Role of the Military in the Chinese Society” is devoted to the study of changing of the role of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the contemporary Chinese society. During the last 35 years, since the PLA imparked on its modernization program, it has made significant strides in modernizing its organization, arms and equipment. The dominance of the professionalization is increasingly alienating Chinese military from politics. Along with this their professionalism and their ability to win in local conflicts increased.

REGIONAL SECURITY

CONFLICTS AND CRISES IN AFRICA by I.G.Rybalkina, PhD (History)
Keywords: conflict and crisis development, civil war, shared responsibility, economic integration, peacekeeping forces, civil society
If you try to describe briefly the way in which most of the African countries were developing in the second half of the twentieth century the most accurate definition would be the conflict and crisis development. In fact, there was no country in the African continent in this period, which was not shaken by the war: civil, ethnic, sectarian, war between states. Millions of human lives were lost.

WORLD ECONOMY: PROBLEMS OF RECONSTRUCTION

ASEAN COUNTRIES: COURSE ON INTEGRATION OF ECONOMIC INTERESTS by L.V.Drozdova, S.E.Palei, PhD (History)
Keywords: integration, ASEAN dialogue partners, integrated economic community, national currency, cross- border settlements
The global financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009 has substantially influenced the development of Southeast Asian countries. In addition it forced them to make corrections in the plans of enhancing the main institutions of the region - the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Under question now is the task of creating by 2015 of ASEAN Economic community.

CONFLICT IN SRI LANKA AND GEOPOLITICAL INTERESTS OF CHINA IN THIS COUNTRY by K.A.Vilnin
Keywords: Sri Lanka, China, ethnic armed conflict, the Indian ocean, South Asia, «String of Pearls»
The modern history of Sri Lanka (up to 1972 - Ceylon) is largely characterized by the difficult relationship between the main ethnic groups inhabiting the island Sinhalese, and Tamils.
China refrained from direct involvement in the domestic events in Sri Lanka. At the same time, China is the largest supplier of arms and military equipment to Sri Lanka. Beijing was directly interested in providing military and technical assistance to Lankan leadership, because the early completion of the armed conflict opened up the prospect for the implementation of China’s economic projects on the island and in South Asia as a whole.

MICROCREDIT IN IRAN by L.A.Andreev
Keywords: Iran, finance, credit, microfinance
The article briefly describes the main principles of microcredit, as well as peculiarities of its functioning in Iranian framework. Formation, development and current condition of the microcredit in the Islamic Republic of Iran are considered at first glance. An attempt is made to compare the indicators of functioning of the microfinance institutions in Iran and in the world. The shadow sector of economy and illegal institutions of the credit system of the country are discussed in short.

CHINA IN THE EPICENTER OF GLOBAL PROBLEMS by A.V.Afonasyeva, PhD (Economics), M.A.Bratyakov. Part 1
Keywords: China, The Pacific Rim Asia-Pacific, international processes, development, economics, politics, history, philosophy
The XXth International Scientific Conference «China, Chinese Civilization and the World. Past, Present and Prospects», held October 16-18, 2013 in Moscow, at the Presidium of Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies was devoted to the complex problems of China’s development and its emergence as a responsible regional and global power.
The conference’ the motto - «China in the Midst of Global Challenges». It was organized by the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, the Scientific Council for Comprehensive Study of Contemporary China, the Russian - Chinese Center for Cross-Border Cooperation and the Research Institute of Northeast Asia Jilin University (China). The number of participants exceeded 150 people from Russia, China, Ukraine, Belgium, Poland and Portugal. More than 120 scientific papers were presented.

WATER PROBLEM IN CENTRAL ASIA: THE ROLE OF RUSSIA, CHINA AND IRAN by A.B.Lihachyova
Keywords: water-energy problem in Central Asia, Russia, China, Iran, Rogun
The subject of this article is the relations between Russia, China, Iran and the countries of post-Soviet Central Asia. The author discusses the alignment of water and energy balance, which is the key problem in the region. Outside of the article remains the water axis China-Kazakhstan-Russia, because it is an international pool whose problems are very interesting and deserves a separate study.

“DAY OF THE SUN” IN THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (DPRK) by A.V.Pogadaeva
Keywords: North Korea, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kimilsungia, Kimjongilia
The article is based on the author’s impressions of a trip to North Korea where he witnessed celebration of the «Day of the Sun» - the birthday of Kim Il Sung. Together with a group of invited Russians she visited mausoleum of Kim Il Sung (now - Kumsusan Memorial Sun Palace - The tomb of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong II). The author was especially impressed by museums gifts to Kim II Sung and Kim Jong II as well as the exhibition of flowers.

SHANXI - ANCIENT AND MYSTERIOUS by N.A.Kuzmin
Keywords: China, Shanxi attractions, ancient Chinese unit houses
This article describes the journey of the author and of his Chinese friend to Shanghai Province, during which they visited two main attractions - homestead of the Chan family and the ancient city Pingyao, a survivor of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The author considers the basic principles of design of traditional Chinese homes and spears about the peculiarities of ancient Chinese architecture.

OCEAN OF NIGHTS AND OF LIGHT by S.V.Prozhogina, Dr.Sc. (Philology)
Keywords: Moroccan literature, social inequality, women domestic workers
«Hasna, or the fate of a woman» - this is the title of the book by Mary Gessus, native and resident of Casablanca, philologist, specialist in Western literature. The author is a well educated lady, who has numerous diplomas, interested in neuro-linguistics, management and programming. Earlier she has published several other artistic works, including a popular novel «Double life» (2009).

INDONESIA: NEW EVALUATION OF OLD TALES by Yu.I.Noscov
Keywords: Indonesia, Indonesian folk and literary tales, storytellers
“The children are taught about religion, and about life and all that without intrusive lectures». This is a statement of the Indonesian storyteller from city of Yogyakarta (Central Java). Bambang Surono, whose tales have become a favorite genre, a form of education and training.

TURKMENS, THEIR HISTORY AND ETHNOGRAPHY by L.S.Perepelkin, PhD (History)
The book by Sh.Kadyrov «Turkmen nama. The Historical4Ethnographic Album» (Moscow, 2012, 339 p.) - is not the first book of the author published in the period from
2000 to 2013, in which the author explores various aspects of the history, culture and socio-political development of Turkmenistan and the Turkmen people. One of them was dedicated to the ethno genesis and ethnic history of the Turkmen, the others - to historical demography of the Turkmen people.

LIFE AND DEATH OF BENAZIR BHUTTO by T.L.Shaumyan, PhD (History)
The scientific book series «East: Historical portraits» has been completed by the book «Benazir Bhutto: portrait of two perspectives « (Moscow, «Eastern Literature», 2013, 223 p.) written by a famous scientist - orientalist, author of numerous works on literature and spiritual culture of the South Asian A.A.Suvorova.

IN MEMORY OF THE SCIENTIST AND JOURNALIST

After a long and serious illness professor Victor G.Korgun, an outstanding Soviet and Russian orientalist, talented researcher of Afghanistan has died. Since 1966, he has been closely connected with Afghanistan.
Korgun has written a series of articles and monographs. Some of them are widely used by historians and specialists in the field of international relations, teachers and students.
In 2000 V.G.Korgun’s doctoral dissertation on the «Formation and evolution of the modern political system of Afghanistan» was approved. Since 2003 was the undisputed head of the sector of Afghanistan at the Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS.
In 2001-2005 Korgun was a professor of the Department of History of the Middle East of the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow State University as well as the professor of the Military University of Foreign Languages. Since 2009 - professor of the Department of Oriental Studies (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affaires of Russia.
From 1997 to 2003 V.G.Korgun successfully combined academic work with journalism as an editor of «Asia and Africa today» magazine. Our readers will remember his brilliant articles and essays about Afghanistan and other countries of the Middle East. The last of these articles - « The peace process in Afghanistan» - was published quite recently, in June 2013. We will remember Victor G.Korgun as a brilliant journalist, loyal and reliable friend, as a bright and interesting personality.

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