Global Asia

There are many ingredients that have come together over the years to produce Asia’s many success stories, especially the way the region has become a global paragon of rapid development and widespread poverty reduction. Education is a prominent ingredient, and it is no accident that Asia’s strongest economies have educational systems among the best in the world. Asian students routinely rank at or near the top of global surveys of academic achievement, mostly in math and science. Even the success of Asian students in American schools and universities suggests that the region’s reverence for learning is a cultural asset that survives and thrives abroad.

Yet even some of the best Asian school systems, such as those of Singapore and South Korea, recognize that growing income inequality and technology-driven economic changes are quickly transforming the kinds of knowledge and skills needed to succeed; this makes educational reform necessary. The rigors and rigidities that once seemed the foundation for producing educational excellence are being questioned in a world where creativity and the need to innovate and adapt are paramount. In this issue of Global Asia, we look at selected educational systems in the region and explore the challenges they face.

In our In Focus section, we examine a compelling example of how education can reside at the center of seemingly intractable problems among nations whose respective views on history differ sharply. Attempts by the government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to rewrite Japanese school textbooks to downplay or ignore atrocities committed during World War II are fueling ongoing historical grievances. How history is taught matters immensely, as these essays illustrate, and so too does the strength of character to be able to apologize for historical wrongs.

Our Features section includes a fresh set of arguments for the need to broaden approaches to engaging North Korea, at time when engagement appears to have all but ceased. Seok-hyun Hong, chairman of JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, sets out a path for improved relations. We also look at how and why Germany should step up its strategic co-operation with Asia and at the significance of Shinzo Abe’s recent visit to the US for US-Japan relations. Finally, we include a package of articles demonstrating the extent to which India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reaching out to foreign investors, but without unanimous support in a country that has long been suspicious of foreign businesses. Understanding the colonial roots of India’s mistrust of foreign companies and the way it informs contemporary policy debate is essential for anyone considering investing there. At the same time, the leaders of more and more Indian states are taking an active role in marketing their states directly to foreign countries.

Finally, we continue to expand our Book Review section, with more than a dozen short reviews, in an effort to showcase the growing range of writing on issues relating to Asia. We also feature a review of Makers of Modern Asia by Ramachandra Guha, which profiles many of the key leaders who made the region what it is today.

We hope that you enjoy this latest issue of Global Asia.

Sincerely yours,

Chung-in Moon, Editor-in-Chief

David Plott, Managing Editor