ABSTRACT
Since 1945, the situation in Asia has been one of great turbulence as well as constructive change. There are a number of indicators of turbulence and positive change. Asia has been the scene of major international and regional conflicts: Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, the Indian subcontinent and the Persian Gulf. In Asia, wars have been contained; they have been limited; Asian wars led to the development of ‘stable regional conflict formation’ and to the rise of responsible regional great powers. The pervasiveness of ethnic conflicts in different parts of Asia showed the importance of sub-national primordial loyalties that challenged the idea of the nation-state. India’s non-violent route to independence, democratic ethos, and its political culture which emphasizes a commitment to peaceful accommodation of conflicting interests, showed the possibility of synthesizing Western and Asian political cultures. Asia is volatile, but compared to the situation in 1945, Asia has the character of ‘conflict formation’ and ‘regional power formation’ in key areas.
