ABSTRACT

Taking a long view, and a wide perspective, this book by Japan's leading scholars on Asia and Eurasia provides a comprehensive and systematic comparison of the three greatest powers in the region and assesses how far the recent growth trajectories of these countries are sustainable in the long run. The book demonstrates the huge impact on the region of these countries. It examines the population, resource and economic basis for the countries' rise, considers political, social and cultural factors, and sets recent developments in a long historical context. Throughout, the different development paths of the three countries are compared and contrasted, and the new models for the future of the world order which they represent are analysed.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

part I|58 pages

Economic development

part II|88 pages

Political systems and diplomacy

chapter 4|18 pages

Power and limitations of dominant party control

United Russia, the Indian National Congress and the Chinese Communist Party compared

chapter 5|21 pages

Client, agent or bystander?

Patronage and village leadership in India, Russia and China

chapter 6|14 pages

Loss of political leadership and passive ‘triple transformation' in the former Soviet Union

A comparison with China's reform strategy

chapter 7|17 pages

The political consequences of peace

China's retreat for survival, 1988–91

chapter 8|16 pages

India's pragmatic diplomacy with major powers

A comparative study of the strategic partnership with the US, China, and Russia

part III|36 pages

History

chapter 10|18 pages

Empires and the shari‘a

A comparison of colonial Islamic legal systems

part IV|51 pages

Culture and society

chapter 11|14 pages

Delineating contours

Portrayal of regional powers in British Asian immigrant literature

chapter 12|17 pages

Illusion and mirror

Images of China in contemporary Russian literature

chapter 13|18 pages

UNESCO World Heritage and the regional powers

Changing representations of religious cultural heritage