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2011 Asia and Africa today

 

REVOLT IN THE ARABIAN WORLD: SEEDS AND SPROUTS

TSUNAMI OF REVOLUTIONS IS STILL NOT RECEDING by A.M.Vassiliev, Dr.Sc. (History)
Keywords: revolt in the Arabic world, Egypt, Muslim Brothers
In this article the leading expert in the Arabian problems Prof. Alexey Vassiliev is investigating the fundamental reasons and motives of the Egyptian revolution. During his recent visit to Egypt the author has had a great number of interesting meetings with the participants and eyewitnesses of the revolutionary events. Also he is analyzing the post revolutionary situation, quoting the opinions on the future of the country expressed representatives of youth movement which stood at the origin of «January 25th» revolution.
The author criticizes the role of Russia in a new geopolitical context which is now forming in the region. He believes that Moscow is gradually loosing authority and influence in Egypt and in the Near East in general. Bearing in mind the new political realities of the Land of pyramids such a loss could turn out to be fatal.

EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION-2011: A DEMOGRA- PHIC STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS by A.V.Korotayev, Dr.Sc.(History), J.V.Zinkina
Keywords: revolution in the Arabic world, Egypt, demography, youth, unemployment, corruption
It is not surprising that Mubarak’s administration “overlooked” the social explosion. Indeed, statistical data rightly claimed that the country was developing very successfully. Economic growth rates were high (even in the crisis years). 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 strata of the population. Unemployment rate 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 so many people to go to the Tahrir Square? It was even more difficult to figure out 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.

THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD ECONOMY: NEW DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS OF DETERMENISM by I.O.Abramova, PhD (Economy)
Keywords: developing countries, population growth, transformation of world economy, demographic impact on economic development, urbanization, international migration
The author is analyzing the accelerated growth of population in the developing countries and its influence on the transformation of the world economy and international economic relations in the XXI c.
The political and economic stability in the world for years will greatly depend on the ability of the global community to adjust to the new demographic trends.

ZIGZAGS OF THE JAPANESE-AMERICAN ALLIANCE by A.V.SEMIN, PhD (Policy)
Keywords: Japan, the USA, the Japanese-American security treaty
Since 2010 the serious aggravation of military-political situation on the Korean peninsula has highlighted latent rivalry between Washington and Peking. Both are struggling for influence in Eastern Asia. Apparently, this region has become the center of world political confrontation of two great powers - the People’s Republic of China and the United States which is supported by Japan.
The author comes to conclusion, that until the Korean peninsula remains a powder keg with a nuclear fuse, the Japanese-American alliance will become stronger as well as the role of Japan as a rear base or even the second echelon of the US armed forces in South Korea.

HOW RUSSIA COULD TAKE ADVENTURE OF THE MIGRATORY POTENTIAL OF VIETNAM (Part 1) by S.V.Ryazantsev, Dr.Sc. (Economy), N.G.Kuznetsov, PhD (Economy)
Keywords: Vietnam, Russia, labour migration, education
Labour and educational migration of Vietnamese has begun as far as in Soviet times. In 1980s the Soviet Union lacked labour force and the agreement was signed with Vietnam on the invitation of the Vietnamese workers. Although nowdays there is no mass migration from Vietnam, new streams of migrants have been formed. The authors claim, that certain branches of Russian economy still need Vietnamese working people.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO TAKE BRIBES IN CHINA by V.V.Ovchinnikov
Keywords: China, corruption
Corruption in China reaches enormous scales and is becoming a serious obstacle for economic development and for attraction of foreign investments. The Chinese authorities decided to begin serious struggle against this phenomenon. For the last 10 years nearby 10 thousand Chinese businessmen and officials, who were holding high state posts, have been shot for corruption. Besides, 120 thousand have been sentenced to 10-20 years of imprisonment.
Why has transition from the planned economy to the market economy created favorable circumstances for corruption? The author quotes the opinion of Yan Fan, the deputy director of the Academy of Social Studies of China. He believes that the political reforms in the country lag behind the economic reforms and that gives officials a chance to hide their management of state property and natural resources from the public control.

THE CASTE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN by E.S.Yurlova, PhD (History)
Keywords: Violence against women, exclusive panchajat, honor killing, intercaste marriage
In the beginning of the XXI century the mankind as a whole is moving to the future, entering the era of globalizations and modernizations. At the same time some countries seem moving back to the past, returning to traditions of the old caste society.
In India it is taking place in the sphere of family-marriage relations. The so called “honor killings” in the rural area is only one form of castle violence against women which causes growing concern of the Indian public.

THE PRESENT DAY AND THE FUTURE OF TELECOMMUNICATION IN AFGHANISTAN by U.V.Okimbekov, PhD (History)
Keywords: Afghanistan, installation of telephones, mobile communication
Afghanistan always was and still remains to be one of the most backward country of the world. The civil war, which is lasting for more than three decades, has transformed this state into one of the most politically unstable and unreliable country as far as safety is concerned.
Nevertheless, last two decades the foreign companies and the international financial organizations demonstrate interest in taking part in the development of telecommunication of the country.

«SMALL JAPAN» IN NEW ZEALAND by E.E.Kolesova, Dr.Sc. (History)
Keywords: Japan, New Zealand, globalization, the international education
Last years New Zealand alongside with other English- speaking countries has become a point of attraction for the Japanese students. Moreover, popularity of the international education among the Japanese youths has induced the Japanese businessmen to create the educational institutions outside Japan, New Zealand included.

THE MAGHREB: LESSONS FROM THE GLOBAL CRISIS by K.А.Tkachenko
Keywords: North Africa, African renaissance, global crisis
The positive trends of the North-African economies,
which have outlined in this decade, are now challenged by the crisis. Despite optimistic estimations of the African experts, the crisis did influence Africa. As opposed to the USA and Europe, in North Africa the crisis affected mainly the real sector of the economy. Its influence on the tourist branch is not unambiguous. The crisis gave the North African politicians and businessmen an impulse to negotiate a closer economic cooperation of the countries of the region.

THE AFRICAN ART AND RUSSIA by V.E.Egoshkin, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation
Keywords: Africa, art, ritual symbols, sculptural images
The African art today is more and more demanded. Specialized museums and art galleries are functioning in the largest cities of Europe, America and Asia, the corresponding literature is being published. Nothing like that is available in Russia. Anyway there are some enthusiasts who have private collections of old and modern works of African arts. The author believes, that the time has come to open the Center of the African art in Moscow.

THE PEKING OPERA TODAY by N.A.Kuzmin
Keywords: China, traditions, the Peking opera
The article gives the history and evolution of a comparatively young genre of the Chinese art - the Peking opera.
Various people’s stories about old age heroes, strong friendship and eternal love are the main topic of the Peking opera. Frequently one will find in them reflection of the real historical events.
The author shares the impressions about his participation in student’s staging of the opera «The jade bracelet» which has brought him a lot of positive emotions and memoirs, and also helped to understand more deeply subtleties and philosophy of this art genre.

AFRICA: FORMATION OF THE MARKET ECONOMY by T.S.Denisova, PhD (History)
The review of the collective monograph «Economy of Africa in the Period of Market Transformations» (M, Institute for African Studies, the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2010).

Summary