ABSTRACT
Our search for an alternative Asian globalization must begin with the question of what went wrong with the development model that for two decades passed itself off as the “Asian miracle.” Our answer is that it followed too closely in Japan’s footsteps, such that political development was strictly subordinated to economic growth. After the Pacific War, when Japan showed signs of once again taking democracy seriously, America hit the brakes. A truly popular vote was too risky a proposition in a country where the Left stood a chance of winning political ground.
