ASIAN REGIONALISM

REGIONALISM
- Strengthen collective identity in a conglomerate of nations occupying a
particular geographical area or aiming at shared goals
- Regionalism is the development of political and economic systems based on
loyalty to distinct geographic regions.
- Regionalism often results in formal political or economic arrangements between
groups of countries intended to achieve common goals.

According to Huntington (1996), one of the consequences of the post-Cold War affairs
is the shift of power from the West to groups of nations with similar cultural identity.

Huntington referred to these nations as "civilizations"-a proposition foundational to his

"clash of civilization" hypothesis.

Hettne (1996) argued that regionalism has two faces: the old and the new.

OLD REGIONALISM NEW REGIONALISM

● Bipolar such that it was produced ● Multipolar as it is open for

in a schism between opposing
political alliances
● Imposed by the superpowers
● Secures economic security within
alliances
● Specific to economic and political
objectives
● Focused only on nation-states
multilateral engagement and
collaborations among countries
● Spontaneous and sought
voluntarily by constituents
● Open in as much as it is multipolar
● Comprehensive and
multidimensional (political,
cultural, economic, social)
● Involves non-state actors

Hettne (1996) suggested that regionness as a concept has varying degrees.

● REGION AS A GEOGRAPHICAL UNIT
● REGION AS A SOCIAL SYSTEM
● REGION AS ORGANIZED COOPERATION
● REGION AS CIVIL SOCIETY
● REGION AS AN ACTING SUBJECT
The Asian Region
- Asia is the largest and most populated continent in the world.
- It comprises distinct regions such as Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and the
Middle East.

Central Asia
- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
- Important in Silk Road Trade, Historical Economic and Cultural exchange
between Rome and China.

East Asia
- China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and
Taiwan
- Cradle of ancient civilizations such as Chinese and Japanese civilizations as
well as the Mongol Empire.

South Asia
- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and
Nepal
- High Population density; cradle of the Indian civilization.

Southeast Asia
- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam
- Asia Pacific Ring of fire; Historically the goal destination of the European
Expeditions for its spice.

Western Asia (Middle East)

- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, UAE, Yemen.
- Many are arid desert regions but serve as gateways and routes to major bodies
of water in the world.

Asia has cradles of several ancient civilizations, such as the Chinese and Indian
civilizations.

In 2008, the Asian Development Bank published a book in the emerging regionalism in
Asia, Haruko Kuroda, then President ADB
Kuroda identified some factors which are influential in growing the integration at that
time;
1. Enhanced dialogue between citizens of various nations;
2. Expanding intraregional trade and investments;
3. Increased connectivity

There are various Benefits Perceived from Asian integration. Some of those discussed
by ADB (2008, p. 13) are as follows:
● It harnesses the strengths of diverse economies.
● It provides platform for connecting financial market ( reduced capital, shared
risk)
● It makes the economy more resilient to global risk.
● It pools resources.
● It creates regional mechanisms for safety and security.

However, there are also Challenges (ADB, 2008, p. 17):

● The need to establish compatible products standards
● The need to establish guidelines that buffer financial contagion and ensure
compatible financial regulations.
● The need to coordinate macroeconomic policies.
● The need to manage cross-border environmental and social policies (e.g, fair
treatment of migrant workers).

GLOBAL MIGRATION
● International migration, commonly referred to as global migration, is the term
used to describe voluntary or involuntary cross-national migration

As of 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations
reported that 281 million people were migrants abroad, making up 3.6% of the world's
population.

American scholar Everett Lee first described the push and pull forces behind human
migration in the 1960s

PUSH FACTORS - are the adverse circumstances that compel a person to relocate from
their original residence to a new location. Drought, starvation, poor health care,
pollution, war, floods, poverty, lack of employment opportunities, death threats, subpar
housing, natural disasters, political unrest, prejudice, bullying, and a host of other issues
are common causes.

PULL FACTORS - are defined as the advantageous features that a location can provide
and draw people to relocate there. Opportunities for employment, improved living
conditions, healthcare, education, religious freedom, better living conditions, security,
and many other factors are common justifications.

TYPES OF MIGRANTS
Asylum Seeker - An individual who flees their country of origin and requests asylum in
another is known as an asylum seeker

Refugee - A person who is compelled to leave their country because of conflict or

violence is known as a refugee

Economic Migrant - People who willingly leave their home country in search of
employment opportunities or to raise their family's standard of living are referred to as
economic migrants.

COMMON CAUSES OF MIGRATION

Environmental Reasons - A person or group of people may decide to relocate due to a
variety of environmental reasons. Usually, several kinds of factors like drought, flooding,
starvation, sea level rise, and many more cause this

Political Reasons - Individuals who are subjected to war, violations of human rights,
oppression, deprivation of freedom, and inequality frequently seek out locations where
the state will defend them.

Social Reasons - Social factors, such as discrimination and religious oppression, have
occasionally been connected to political causes for migration.

Economic Reasons - An individual typically migrates voluntarily for this purpose. Better
pay, commodities, and employment opportunities are all part of it. As there aren't many
options in their home country, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) usually have this
motivation for working or relocating
overseas.

Human Capital Flight / Brain Drain - This describes people who, rather than staying in
their own country, share their knowledge with another nation or place.
Better Job - International employment opportunities are plentiful and often offer higher
wages or salaries to workers. The majority of workers chose to work somewhere else in
order to support their families, with the goal of giving them a better quality of life.

Borders Separate Families - This might occur if a family member is serving in the
military or works overseas. In the Philippines, moms typically leave their kids to give
them a good life and travel abroad in search of employment

Overseas Filipino Workers OFWs

It pertains to Filipinos who support their family members by working internationally.
Our overseas workers were given the title "Bagong Bayani" by Corazon Aquino, who was
the president, in 1988 since they were seen as an embodiment of tenacity

LABOR CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES

The "Labor Code of the Philippines," officially known as Presidential Decree No.
442, was passed on May 1, 1974 by former president Ferdinand Marcos, Sr

It makes a chance for the National Seamen Board (NSB), Overseas Worker
Welfare Administration (OWWA), and Overseas Employment Development Board
(OSDB) to be built

The Philippine Overseas Employment Authority (POEA), which was founded to

safeguard the rights and welfare of OFWs employed abroad, replaced the OSDB and
NSB, which were dissolved.
Article 12. Statement of objectives. It is the policy of the State:

● To promote and maintain a state of full employment through improved

manpower training, allocation and utilization;
● To protect every citizen desiring to work locally or overseas by securing for him
the best possible terms and conditions of employment;
● To facilitate a free choice of available employment by persons seeking work in
conformity with the national interest;
● To facilitate and regulate the movement of workers in conformity with the
national interest;
● To regulate the employment of aliens, including the establishment of a
registration and/or work permit system;
 ● To strengthen the network of public employment offices and rationalize the
participation of the private sector in the recruitment and placement of workers,
locally and overseas, to serve national development objectives;
● To ensure careful selection of Filipino workers for overseas employment in
order to protect the good name of the Philippines abroad.

THE GLOBAL CITIES

● These cities serve as specific locations where capital accumulated in a period of
heightened globalization (Brenner, 2010)
● Global cities are renowned for their capacity to attract talent from around the
globe and their cultural diversity.
● Global city serves as a central hub for the production of specialized financial and
producer services, which are necessary for the operation of the globalized
economy.

Sassen identified London, New York, and Tokyo as three such "global cities" in the
contemporary period, as they stated.

Martinez and Portes (2019) further observed that the world capitalist system that
emerged in the sixteenth century underwent four significant phases or cycles of
accumulation, as described by Arrighi (1994).
These phases or cycles included the Spanish-Genoese alliance's successive
dominance in the 16th and 17th centuries, which was succeeded by the Dutch
commercial system in the 18th century

Global Power City Index

The Global Power City Index (GPCI) provides a ranking of global cities based on
the following criteria: economy, research and development, cultural interaction,
livability, environment, and accessibility.

● In 2023, London ranked as the most appealing city globally, as determined by the
Global Power City Index (GCPI)
● New York City and Tokyo, each with 15006.4 and 1375.8 points

According to GPCI 2023, the top 10 global cities in the world are London, New York,
Tokyo, Paris, Singapore, Amsterdam, Seoul, Dubai, Melbourne, and Berlin
In the Economy function
1. New York
2. London

In the Research & Development function

1. New York
2. Los Angeles
3. Boston
4. San Francisco
5. Chicago.

In the Cultural Interaction function

1. London
2. New York
3. Paris

In the Accessibility function

1. Amsterdam

The objective of the Global Cities Index (GCI) is to measure a city's capacity to attract,
retain, and produce international capital, human, and intellectual migration
1. New York
2. London
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Beijing

GPCI
1. London
2. New York
3. Tokyo
4. Paris
5. Singapore
6. Amsterdam
7. Seoul
8. Dubai
9. Melbourne
10. Berlin
GCI's
1. New York
2. London
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Beijing
6. Brussels
7. Singapore
8. Los Angeles
9. Melbourne
10. Hong Kong

Inequalities and Drawbacks in Global Cities

Shatkin (2007) stated that certain social inequalities are inherent to the process of
global city development

Social inequality - which emerges as social classes in the global city become polarized
between a wealthy professional class and an impoverished low-wage service sector
class
Uneven development - which occurs as social polarization becomes embedded in the
spatial form of the city in the form of socioeconomic segregation and unequal access
to livable space.
Political inequality - refers to the process by which urban politics comes to be
dominated by interest groups who favor growth-oriented policies over the interests of
neighborhoods

THE GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHY

● Demography is the statistical study of human populations.
● Demography examines the size, structure, and movements of populations over
space and time. It uses methods from history, economics, anthropology,
sociology, and other fields.
● Demography, originating from the Greek words "demos" (population) and
"-graphy" (describe), translates to the "description of the people
● It is a scientific discipline that explores and denotes aspects such as population
size, composition, age structure, and geographic distribution.

HISTORY
 ● The Neolithic Revolution, in which humans began to dominate nature and
agriculture and animal husbandry emerged.
● These developments facilitated sedentarisation of the population and a freeing
up of the workforce for other jobs related to crafts, for example. This led to a
population increase to around 300 million human beings

● The Industrial Revolution, which brought about an unprecedented demographic

explosion. In the 19th century, the population doubled and in the 20th century, it
even tripled, reaching 6 billion in the year 2000.
● Medical, scientific and economic advances led to this exponential growth.

Demographic Transition
The ages of the population changes as a natural consequence of the demographic
transition. Bloom and Luca (2016) states that the demographic transition comprises
three stages.

FIRST STAGE of the demographic transition, when fertility remains high and mortality
begins to decline, the biggest mortality decline occurs at the youngest ages, increasing
the proportion of children in the population

SECOND STAGE, as fertility begins to diminish, the population growth rate experiences
a decline, though it continues to be positive

THIRD STAGE, both fertility and mortality reach equilibrium downturns, and the
population as a whole stops to expand and may even decline

After all three stages of the transition are completed, population growth slows to near
zero as fertility and death stabilize at low levels.

THE MALTHUSIAN THEORY explained that the population grows in a geometrical

fashion.

THE MALTHUSIAN TRAP, also known as the Malthusian Population Trap, refers to the
idea that increased food production as a result of advanced agricultural techniques
creates higher population levels

FERTILITY TRANSITION THEORY is the shift of the status of fertility rate from high to
low and it seems to be irreversible since its occurrence in the 1880.
World population growth is marked, according to the UN, by three factors
1. Fertility rates, Increase in longevity, and International migration
2. Life expectancy has increased
3. Population growth is highly dependent on trends in fertility rates

CLIMATE CHANGE refers to the alteration of the climate, which is directly or indirectly
attributable to human activity

FOOD SECURITY is when all people have permanent physical, social and economic
access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food to meet their nutritional requirements. The
population explosion affects the fundamentals of food security, i.e. its availability,
stability, access and consumption.

BIODIVERSITY LOSS refers to the decrease or disappearance of biological diversity,

understood as the variety of living beings that inhabit the planet.

Projections and trends in the world population change:

According to THE LANCET REPORT, the world's population will peak in the 2060s, with
9.7 billion. people on Earth. By 2100, the population will have decreased to 8.8 billion.
● Broad and timely advancements in women's education.
● Increased availability of contraception will also result in reduced population
growth.

According to UN FORECASTS, Sub-Saharan Africa's population might treble by 2050,

and India could replace China as the world's most populated country, with a total
population of 9.7 billion.
● Predicts that growth would not reduce in the second half of the twentieth century,
and that as a result, the planet's population will exceed 11 billion people by the
end of the century.

GLOBALIZATION OF RELIGION
RELIGION - Emile Durkheim defines it as "a unified system of beliefs and practices
relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden beliefs and
practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church all those who
adhere to them.

Burnett Taylor clearly adheres to his definition of religion as "belief in spiritual things".
Spiritual and sacred things are not visible to the naked eye of humans.
A person's religion is the collection of beliefs, values, and practices that they have been
exposed to from a young age until they are an adult.

Devoted followers of a strong religion usually demonstrate their faith in the god or gods
by participating in related activities.

Majority of religions shared certain similarities, particularly with regard to their sacred
texts, deities, symbols, and locations for worship.

SHAMANISM
● Shamanism was practiced by people in the past.
● The word šaman, which means "one who knows" in Manchu-Tungus, is where the
word "shamanism" originates.
● These so-called "shamans" are thought to be able to communicate with spirits,
heal the sick, and even transport the souls of the deceased to the afterlife.
● Shamanism is typically found in tribal settings. Within the group, they were also
referred to as the religious leaders or healers.

MAJOR RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD

Judaism
● It is believed that numerous ancient prophets, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
and many more, received revelations from God.
● Jews have a strong commitment to God's Ten Commandments, or Torah.
● The majority of people practicing this religion worldwide are found in nations like
Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Canada, United States, Israel, and Argentina.

Hinduism
● The Indus Valley, which is not too far from modern-day Pakistan, is where the
world's oldest religion-Islam-was born
● In terms of religious prominence worldwide, it comes in third.
● It consists of the four main sects of Smarta, Vaishnava, Shaivism, and Shaktism.
● They worship only one particular deity, the well-known Brahman
● Shiva, the deity of destruction
● Vishnu, the deity of preservation
● This religion's adherents hold that karma-the universal law of cause and
effect-and samsara―the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth—are true
● They consider cows to be "mothers" who tend to the young and provide milk
 ● Hindus also have their sacred texts, called vedas, which include verses and
hymns that hold special meaning for them.
● The majority of people practicing this religion worldwide are found in nations like
Nepal, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Pakistan,
and Sri Lanka.

Buddhism
● Siddhartha Gautama, also called the Buddha (enlightened one)
● Buddha taught what was referred to as dharma
● The five virtues of wisdom, compassion, kindness, generosity, and patience are
all part of this righteous way of living.
● The majority of people practicing this religion worldwide are found in nations like
China, Thailand, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea,
India, and Malaysia.

Islam
● Regarded as one of the Abrahamic faiths worldwide and the second largest
religion.
● Islam refers to giving oneself up to or submitting to Allah
● Mosques are places of worship for Muslims
● "Islamophobia" refers to prejudice against Islam or fear of Muslims.
● The greatest concentration of followers of this religion are found in nations like
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Indonesia.

Christianity
● It is recognized as the biggest religion globally.
● The religion of Christianity is monotheistic; its sole deity is Jesus.
● The largest number of followers of this religion are found in nations like the
United States, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Philippines, Nigeria, China, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Germany, and Ethiopia.

RELIGIOUS CLASSIFICATIONS
1. Atheism - those who reject the existence of a god or gods are considered atheists
2. Animism - belief in non-human entities like plants, animals, rocks, and many others.
3. Monotheistic - like Islam and Christianity, is defined as believing in only one God
4. Polytheism - the belief in multiple deities, such as those found in Hinduism,
Shintoism, and Wicca

IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON RELIGION

 ● Due to globalization, religion has become the center of communication and the
building of relationships to establish peace
● It also became the stepping stone in achieving harmony and coexistence,
eradicating greed, hatred, and other negative feelings but settling disputes to
avoid conflicts that can harm the people.

Cultural Differences
Differences within a group of people's values, customs, beliefs, behaviors, mannerisms,
rituals, and many other aspects