ABSTRACT
This chapter explores major regional patterns during the second half of the 20th century, and some of the complicated comparisons that result. East Asia displayed unusual economic dynamism but also very different political systems. New distinctions opened up, within the West, between Western Europe and the United States, while the fall of communism reopened the issue of the relationship of Eastern Europe with the West. Comparisons among Africa, South Asia, and Latin America focus strongly on varied political trends and development patterns, along with the important role of religions. New and old rivalries and considerable external interference complicated trends in the Middle East.
