Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia

I bought this book because I have already read their previous book, "China wakes". I was delighted once again by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I found "Thunder from the East" to be as insightful and entertaining as "China wakes". Kristof and WuDunn write the kind of books that I enjoy the most and I am already looking forward for their next book.

I think the authors have gone overboard in their rosy opinions. But I do recommend this book highly because they did their homework by interviewing lots of people on the ground in China. Their resumes are also sterling: Kristof is a NY Times editor, Harvard grad with a first-class honors in Law from Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and his wife, the co-author, is a Harvard MBA who shared a Pulitzer Prize with him for their China reporting. Some credentials.

My college chemistry professor, a man of Chinese descent who grew up in the Philippines and was a young boy during the Japanese occupation, once told me that Asians were the most ethnically biased people you could find. Furthermore, he added that one could not understand the politics of the region or presuppose to predict the future in that part of the world unless that fact was kept foremost in mind. Nearly all of the ethnic hostilities between groups such as the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese predate the formation of the United States and some the founding of the modern nation states of Europe. Given these complex histories, any attempt to project what will happen in that region would seem to be a foolish exercise. However, there are times when megatrends make predictions easy and that is the case here. The projections made in this book concerning the major forces driving Asia are too obvious to be wrong. Shed of stifling ideologies such as Communism or socialism, most countries in Asia, but particularly the massive countries of China and India are revamping their economies and growing at impressive rates. It seems clear that if these two can successfully manage their internal ethnic diversity and hostilities, they will be the two global economic powerhouses of the late 21st century. In fact, it is argued, correctly but not too strongly that the major superpower rivalry of the next decade will be between India and China. The emphasis for decades has been the rivalry between India and Pakistan, which is even more dangerous, given the potential for nuclear conflict. However, with the current and clear future differences in population and economic growth, Pakistan could soon be a dwarf when compared to its powerful neighbor. The forces driving this economic boom are simple, a change in mindset and a growing population. As the authors so correctly point out, China was the global superpower for centuries while the Europeans were immersed in the ignorance of the middle ages. In retrospect, it is amazing that most of the world does not speak Chinese. With a mighty navy consisting of more ships than the west could put together until the 20th century, China had the capability to dominate the Pacific and Indian oceans. However, the scholarly class ordered the navy dismantled and all records of their voyages destroyed. This retreat into isolation was the main event that turned a mighty nation into a weak and backward one. The elimination of this insular mentality is the primary reason that China is growing powerful again. The economic crises that engulfed Asia in the few years of the twentieth century actually did more good than harm. In traveling through the region, the authors document clearly that it served as the impetus for a restricted but general overhaul of some of the remaining archaic and inefficient economic structures. Given that so many thought that Japan Inc. would dominate the 21st century instead of being in what appears t

The authors describe the above attributes as the hallmark of most Asian Cultures. Ingredients which will elevate Asia to the upper echelons of global leadership very soon.This is one of the most fascinating books that I have ever read. It exemplifies Asian attributes, beliefs and character strengths through anecdotal experiences with common people, most of whom live in wretched conditions. It serves as an poignant eye-opener on how the will to survive allows people to overcome and face the greatest of adversity.It also correlates the above mentioned values with an economic perspective and details reasons why the Asian Miracle is far from being over. Tremendously enlightening and insightful, it is must read for every global manager

The authors write of their experiences and observations in a number of Asian countries. Their story is greatly helped by conversations with people from all walks of life, from world leaders to the desperately poor. Their story is very well told, and is consistent with my experiences in Asia.Anyone who aspiring to "think globally and act locally" needs to read this book. Opponents of globalization are especially advised to read this book -- the world looks a lot different on the ground in parts of Asia than it does from the comfort of a North American or Western European armchair. High-minded ideals can cause a lot of real damage to the poorest of the poor, to those in most need of help.