The Pacific challenge

by Werner Kreisel

The enormous leaps of growth and development experienced by Eastern and Southeast Asian states since the 1960s on account of their astonishing industrial development have led to concerns that a resulting global economic and political shift might favour the Pacific region at the expense of the "Atlantic region". A "Pacific century" was proclaimed, in which it was predicted that Asian-Pacific countries would outpace the traditional leading powers of the West. A more careful look quickly reveals that this view is too simplistic. From the point of view of various disciplines and covering...