Transcript Chapter 8 South/Central Asia and International Studies

Chapter 9
South and Central Asia and
International Studies
Environment and Population
Introduction: Why Study South and
Central Asia?
• Long history
– Harrapan civilization occupied the Indus valley, considered one of
the beginnings of civilization
• Major geographic scale
– Region accounts for 25% of world’s population
– By 2050 India will surpass China as world’s most populous country
• Cultural complexity
– Hinduism and Buddhism originated in South Asia and Islam made
its way there by the Middle Ages
• Growing economic power
– India is a rising economic star and South Asia provides many of the
world’s goods and services
• Political significance
– India has the world’s largest democracy
– India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons
How Is South Asia Connected to the
West?
• Relations between the West and India date back
to Alexander the Great around 326 BCE
• Many English words and phrases that are of Indian
origin
• We can analyze this connection between South
Asia and the West by looking at the influence of
the following:
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Geography
History
Culture
Economics
Politics
Geography
• Regions in South and Central Asia sometimes
overlap
– Afghanistan and Pakistan are areas of ambiguity
• Most of the time the regions are divided as
follows:
– South Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and
Sri Lanka
– Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia
[Figure 9.1. Pakistan – The Gilgit River (left) flows in to the Indus River. The author is in the foreground. Photo:
S. Toops]
Geography – South Asia
• Both Pakistan and Bangladesh were once part
of the Indian empire
• Dominant religions are broken up as such:
– Hinduism: India and Nepal
– Islam: Pakistan and Bangladesh
– Buddhism: Sri Lanka
• India and Pakistan are strong political powers
due to their nuclear capabilities
• Historical center of the region: Indus River
• Modern center of the region: Ganges River
Geography – Central Asia
• Landlocked region
• Most countries in this region were former Soviet
Republics
• All countries in this region are Muslim, except
Mongolia which is mostly Buddhist
• Economic development in Central Asia has
struggled due to the difficult transition from
Soviet-style command economies to a more
market-oriented system
• Many of the current governments are
authoritarian
History
• The Indus Valley civilization goes back to 3000 BCE
• Early civilizations developed by being able to
produce food surpluses
• Around the 1500s Dutch, French, British, and
Russian colonialists began to conquer the area
– British dominated India
– Russians dominated Central Asia
• By 1949 India was free from colonial rule, forming
two new states: India and Pakistan
– Pakistan later divided into Bangladesh in 1971
[Figure 9.2 The Gandhi monument shows the spinning wheel, symbol of his movement. Photo: S. Andrus.]
Culture
• Religious diversity in South and Central Asia is very high
– Influences include Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity in
Central Asia
– South Asia has Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism,
Sikhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism
• Language diversity is also very high
– Central Asian languages: various Turkic languages ( Uzbek,
Kazakh), Mongol and Russian
– South Asian languages: Indo-European languages (Hindi,
Urdu, Bengali, Sinhalese) as well as Dravidian languages
such as Tamil, Telugu. English is a second language for
many.
[Figure 9.3. A wedding ceremony in Khiva, Uzbekistan, complete with a trip to the local mosque and wishing
well. Photo: S. Toops]
Religious Innovation in South/Central
Asia
• The oldest beliefs originated in the Indus River
Valley, which was mainly Hinduism
• By 500 BCE, Buddhism was introduced to the
region by Buddha himself
• By 1000 BCE, Islam made its way into the region
by way of the Turkic peoples
• Christianity had been in the region since almost
the beginning but didn’t really make an impact
until Russian colonialism in the 1800s
• The last wave of religion was in 1930 as Marxist
atheism made its way into the Central Asia
Economics
• The impacts of South and Central Asian economies
are felt worldwide
• Oil is a strong export good in Kazakhstan, one of
the few countries in Central Asia with a good per
capita GDP
• Poverty is a much larger issue in South and Central
Asia than in East Asia
• India is a part of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and
China), a group of the fastest growing economies
• India as seen great economic success due to its
educational system and increased communication
technologies
Politics
• The political systems at work in South and
Central Asia are closely related to its historical,
geographic, cultural and economic issues
• Historically Asian government has seen itself
responsible to the people
• In India’s case, how does such a large country
intend to govern over a billion people?
Politics – South Asia
• Partition of Pakistan and India has caused political
tension in the area
– Tensions have caused ever changing relationships with
China, the US, and Russia
– Pakistan has for the most part allied with the US
against terrorist groups of the region
• Even with the partition, democratic rule has
dominated the region
• India is the world’s largest democracy
– Also the strongest militarily and politically
• Complex politics: Killing of bin Laden by US forces
in 2011 in Pakistan
Politics – Central Asia
• Diverse political issues after the political
domination of the Soviet Union
• Civil wars have persisted in Tajikistan and
Afghanistan
• Afghanistan found itself at the mercy of the United
States after the Sept. 11th, 2001 attacks
– US invaded to take care of the Taliban terrorist group
that controlled the region
• Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan have
authoritarian regimes
• Mongolia has a democratic system
[Figure 9.4 The Khyber Pass is on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Photo: S. Toops]
The Silk Road
• Historic trade artery
• A few major events allowed for the reopening of the Silk
Road:
– Fall of communism in the Soviet Union in 1991
– China’s opening to the West in the 1980s
• Rich mix of cultural tradition with several groups of people
living on the Silk Road
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Afghanis
Turks
Uyghurs
Chinese
Kyrgyz
Uzbeks
Russians
The Silk Road
• The Silk Road was a crossroads nexus of religious,
cultural, and economic communication between
the East and West
• The Silk Road was an important route of cultural
transmission and political change
– Japan and China: Buddhism
– Russia and Britain: The Great Game
• Metaphor for globalization and trade linkages in
contemporary Central and South Asia
• US involvement in Afghanistan
[Figure 9.5. Samarkand. The Registan complex of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was the center of the Timurid Empire.
Photo S. Toops]
Demographic Issues
• Two issues facing South and Central Asia:
– Population growth
• Like China, countries like India have sought to control
the population, but haven’t made radical attempts like
China and have been mildly successful
– Urbanization
• Overall urbanization is lower in South Asia than East
Asia, but like East Asia there are many large cities as
people move from the countryside to the cities
• Urban planning will become a major concern
[Figure 9.6. Calcutta is one of India’s largest cities. Photo: S. Andrus]
Environmental Diversity and
Challenges in India
• India is divided into three environments:
– Rice-producing central and southern uplands
• Fertile soils and water support high population densities
– Alluvial lowland of the fertile Ganges and
Brahmaputra valleys
• River systems and fertile soil supply the people with
crops that include wheat and rice
– Himalayan mountains of the North
• Too rugged for much settlement with many earthquakes
• Home to India’s Adivasi, indigenous peoples
The Monsoon in India
• The monsoon dominates climate patterns in
India
• Monsoon comes from the Arabic word
meaning “season”
• The monsoon brings moisture from the Bay of
Bengal and the Indian Ocean
• The pattern of the monsoon is not regular and
sometimes results in crop failure
Environmental Issues in India
• India has many environmental issues:
– Flooding in the Ganges river valley
– Deforestation in the Western and Eastern Ghats
– Water and air pollution by the large cities…a result
of urbanization
– Global climate change could have strong affects
on India
• For example, many people living in the low lying areas
near the Bay of Bengal could be displaced due to rising
sea levels
Political Ecology in South and Central
Asia
• Central Asia experiences great conflict over water
issues
– The region has an arid environment
– The Aral Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate as the
water of rivers entering the sea were diverted to
irrigation
• Human activity is a major cause of these
environmental issues as well
• Flooding in Bangladesh is a problem exacerbated
by the deforestation of the Ganges headwaters.
The Future of India
• The economic rise of India is a result of placing a
strong value on education
• India’s bright future rests on its huge democracy
and its economic prospects
– Democracy helps link the cultural diversity
– Growing economy gives it a greater say in world issues
• Future challenges of India include:
– Environmental issues
– Regional economic inequalities
– Social issues such as inequality between men and
women
Asia Matters: Global Connections
• Elements of South Asian culture are known and
recognized worldwide
– Indian yoga and Indian restaurants
– Bollywood (“Slumdog Millionaire” 2008)
– Global transnational corporations
• Central Asia connected in a different way
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History
Contemporary geographies
Connections through Russia to Europe
Connections through Islam and Turkey to the Middle
East