Why Should We Teach & Learn About Asia

Traditional U.S. education has focused on North America and its European roots; Asia has been treated as an "exotic" culture, full of odd and fascinating people and customs. This approach is no longer relevant today. The world is becoming increasingly interconnected and what happens in Asia has great relevance to the daily lives of Americans. Lack of knowledge about Asia is thus not only foolish, but it is dangerous. Citizens need knowledge to make informed decisions concerning economics, politics, security, etc. Thus understanding about Asia needs to begin in elementary school and continue throughout a child's education.

First, from a military and security point of view, the US has been and is now involved in wars with Asia. Historically we can look back to such events as the "opening" of Japan by Commodore Perry in 1853, and the Spanish American War of 1898 which resulted in handing over the Philippines to the US. More recently, we can look to World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the present War in Afghanistan. We can look at the threats to our security posed by extremists throughout Asia. We can look at the current tensions posed by North Korea, by the independence rumblings in Taiwan, by the continuing tensions between India and Pakistan, among others.

Second, from an economic point of view, our economy is intimately tied to that of Asia. Not only does the state of Asian economies affect our Stock markets, but many of our manufactured goods, from TV's to clothes, are made in Asia. Outsourcing of everything from call centers to automobiles has made us increasingly dependent upon the cheap goods produced in Asia to retain our standard of living.

Third, from the point of view of the environment what happens in Asia has a direct effect upon us. The Chinese use of coal affects the ozone layer, the Japanese fishing industry affects our fish stocks, overpopulation and poverty affects our immigrants, Asian wars create refugee populations. We are deeply involved in aid programs in Asia as well as attempts to protect the environment and to assist in development.

Fourth, Asia now contains, and will continue to contain, a majority of the world's population. Both India and China now have over one billion inhabitants, Indonesia and Bangladesh are the two most heavily populated Islamic nations in the world. The number of people in Asia, along with its rapid modernization and development, will combine to give Asia great leverage in all world bodies.

Fifth, the immigration patterns to the US are changing rapidly with the majority of new immigrants coming from Asia. This brings new values, new ways of doing things, new approaches which both challenge and enrich our society. To understand the new immigrants, we must have an understanding of their countries.

If the 18th and 19the centuries, in terms of world power, were the centuries of European dominance, and the 20th century was the century of American dominance, then the 21st century may be the century of Asian dominance in world affairs. To be prepared to deal with the new realities that the 21st century will bring, all citizens need to understand Asia.