"Asia and Africa today"
- is a scientificl monthly journal (in Russian)
of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Included in Russian Science Citation Index on
WoS platform, and EBSCO Publishing.
ISSN 0321-5075. Published since July 1957.

 

 "Asia and Africa today" № 11 2012

 

Azia&Afrika 11 2012-s

 

 Top Problem

VLADIVOSTOK: 2012 APEC SUMMARY by S.G.Luzyanin Dr.Sc. (History)

Keywords: APEC, Russia, China, the U.S., Japan, Vietnam

The author analyzes the results of the APEC Summit (2012), which took place in Russian Vladivostok. The main objectives of this major international forum are development of regional integration, economic liberalization, and the reduction of trade tariffs.
Particular attention was paid to the issues of international economic cooperation, including Russia’s «road map» of foreign investment - the creation of a favorable investment climate, reducing customs and bureaucratic barriers. The next APEC summit will be held in 2013 on Bali (Indonesia).

 

 Policy, Economy

TOKYO: FOCUS ON NON-MILITARY ASPECTS OF SOLVING AFGHANISTAN PROBLEM by O.A.Dobrinskaya, PhD (History)

Keywords: Afghanistan, Japan, international aid, the U.S.

As soon as Washington proclaimed anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan many American allies joined in Japan also did not stand aside. Despite the particular legislation that restricts sending Japanese military forces abroad, Tokyo succeeded in finding the best, from its point of view, option of participation in solving the Afghanistan problem.

FROM ASIAN «TIGERS» TO «AFRICAN LIONS»?

«AFRICAN DAVOS» AND THE NEW YORK FORUM - AFRICA by H.M.Turyinskaya, PhD (History)

Keywords: World Economic Forum on Africa, Ethiopia, New York forum-Africa, Gabon

The article dwells on two major international events held in the African continent in the first half of 2012 - that is the World Economic Forum on Africa held in Addis Ababa (May 2012) and the first New York Forum-Africa, held in Libreville (June 2012). These two international forums attracted participants not only from African countries, but also from other regions of the world. They were attended by hundreds of statesmen and public figure, political scientists, economists, financiers and experts from dozens of countries. They discussed the problems of the present and the future of Africa, its place and role in modern processes taking place in the global world.

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICA by G.E.Roshchin, Dr.Sc. (Economics)

Keywords: Africa, foreign direct investment, multinational corporations, capital, crisis, development, modernization

The article focuses on the problems faced by African countries in attracting foreign direct investments, it is necessary for the development of the continent. The author draws attention to the fact that the structural imbalance in the economy and political instability in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa do not stimulate the activities of international corporations and deter investment.

YUAN ON THE WAY TO A WORLD CURRENCY by V.P.Andreev, PhD (Economy), part 2, (part 1 in “Asia and Africa Today”, 2012, № 10)

Keywords: China, USA, world currency, international trade

The financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009, accompanied by instability of the world’s leading currencies - the U.S. dollar and the euro, significantly accelerated the awareness of the international community of the need to reform the international monetary system and to increase the number of reserve currencies used in international payments. The BRICS’s countries, particularly Russia and China, are playing the most active role in promoting and implementing this ideas. The article analyzes the measures taking by China to turn the yuan into an international currency and to increase its role in international payments.
The author comes to the conclusion that for Russian companies and enterprises which have counterparts in China, Hong Kong and Macao, a chance to use yuan for settling with their foreign trade partners creates good conditions for a more effective management of the business and its continued growth.

INTERNAL POLITICAL SITUATION IN IRAN by E.V.Dunaeva, PhD (History)

Keywords: Iran, the U.S., Ahmadinejad, elections

The «Arab Spring» presented a serious test to regime of Ahmadinejad. The violent suppression of protests of opposition in 2009 still further widened the rift between conservatives and moderates. The divine
leader who has in his hands many control levers is doing his best to undercut presidents prerogatives. The last parliamentary election also weakened Ahmadinejad’s position.
Nevertheless the author believes that Iran can avoid disturbances like those which took place in the Arab countries. For 33 years since the Islamic revolution the regime has not only successfully survived but also demonstrated the ability to adjust to requirements of the day.

AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN ZIMBABWE: IS IT IN COLLAPSE OR ON THE RISE? by A.D.Khamatshin

Keywords: Zimbabwe, agriculture, food security, land reform

Since the beginning of massive land redistribution in Zimbabwe in the 2000s, the image of «collapse» of commercial agriculture became a widely-accepted understanding of the land reform in this country. The study shows that although production of main crops has declined since the early 2000s, the agriculture in Zimbabwe is not only far from total failure, but starts to recover. Zimbabwe’s land redistribution has reduced racial and class inequalities in land ownership, and brought into being the potentially productive agrarian structure.

OLIGARCH THE KOREAN WAY. CHUNG JU YOUNG AND HIS DYNASTY by M.A.Morekhodov

Keywords: South Korea, Chung Ju Young, Hyundai, automobile production, shipbuilding, export

Readers of «Asia and Africa today» are already familiar with our author Mikhail Morekhodov. For many years he is working in South Korea as the director of a large company specializing in formal acceptance of ocean-going vessels. In this article he tells the story of origin and development of the largest South Korean company Hyundai and its founder and long-term chief Chung Ju Young.

DATOGA OF NORTHERN TANZANIA: ECOLOGY AND TRADITIONAL CULTURE by M.L.BUTOVSKAYA, Dr. Sc. (History), D.V.KA- RELIN, Dr. Sc. (Biology), V.N.BURKOVA, PhD (History)

Keywords: Datoga, traditional pastoralists of East Africa, ecology, cultural attitudes

The authors have made a research devoted to interaction of economic activity of Datoga (pastoralists of Northern Tanzania) and ecological environment. They underline that Datoga adjust its economic activities to environmental conditions. The study was conducted on the basis of date collected by the authors during the field researches in areas of Datoga residence.

 

 Post-Graduate Column

WHAT LANGUAGE IS SPOKEN BY EGYPTIANS? by A.A.Belikova
Keywords: Egypt, literary Arabic, Egyptian dialect The article is devoted to the linguistic situation in
Egypt. The author analyzes the phenomena of diglossia (existence of two languages in society, or two forms of the same language). In Egypt diglossia demonstrates itself in use of both a literary Arabic and Egyptian dialect.

HISTORY PAGES

PERSONALITY IN THE HISTORY OF ARABIA by A.M.Vasiliev, Academician

Keywords: King Abdul Aziz, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al Wahhab, sharif of Mecca Husayn Ibn Ali, Percy Cox, Harry St. John Philby

The article tells about life of the founder of modern state of Saudi Arabia - king Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.

 

 Culture, Literature, Art

 TESTAMENT OF NAGUIB MAHFOUZ by V.N.Kirpichenko, Dr.Sc. (Philology). Part 2 (part 1 in “Asia and Africa Today”, 2012, № 10)

Keywords: Egypt, literature, Naguib Mahfouz, «Dreams of the Rehabilitation Period», «Echoes of an Autobiography», surrealism, Sufism

The article tells the story of creative work, moral and philosophical ideals of one of the pillars of modern literature of Egypt, Nobel Prize winner - Naguib Mahfouz.

 

 Book Review

 THOUSAND HILLS OF RWANDA by E.O.Khabenskaya, PhD (History)

Book review of S.M.Shlenskaya’s book «Republic of Rwanda» (M., 2012). Since 1974 this work is the first full-scale study devoted to Rwanda in Russia.

BERBER ANTHOLOGY - COLLECTIONS OF WORKS OF RUSSIAN, AFRICAN AND FRENCH SCIENTISTS by N.A.Ksenofontova, PhD (History)

Book review of «Berber anthology. Cultural anthropology and folklore samples of Tuareg» (M.,
2012) composed by S.V.Prozhogina, Dr.Sc. (Philology).

 

Summary