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Archived Articles  Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian descent, and former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with the hot political and economic topics, both Bulgarian and international. ("A Royal Solution." World Press Review. June 1997, provides English versions). He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in the country, and in 1996-1997 participated in the international monitors' teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria. In 1999 he was among the few Bulgarian journalists that supported NATO military operation against Yugoslavia. In 2002 Simeon and his family emigrated from Bulgaria to Canada where they now live in Montreal, Quebec.
Global Real Estate Project
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Tectonic shifts in the Asian coreThree potentially major events turned the world attention to the Asian continent. China and India decided to put aside their differences in order to create what in Beijing is called a new world order. In a separate development India and Pakistan also decided to put aside their major differences in order to give a chance to the bilateral trade and cooperation. In a dissonance to these signs of cooperation thousands of Chinese students showed their anger at Japan with the main reason being the new school textbooks diminishing the crimes perpetuated before and during the WWII in China. The strange coincidence of these three events, any of which being big enough alone to attract international attention, is at the focus of literally thousands of comments, pointing out at historic, security, political, economic, and financial reasons that may or may not have contributed to these sudden developments. What are the main security pillars of these countries and how these relations' changes may alter the role they play in the world?
Post WWII historyJapan has entered the post-WWII period as a defeated Axis power occupied mainly by U.S. troops. Military has been removed from the policy-making process. The economy has been set in an exporting mood that has created by early 1980s the second world economic powerhouse. In the foreign relations the orientation has been kept strictly within the U.S.-led framework. Before 1991 the relations with the former USSR have been following the East-West ideological divide. Japan has still some territorial claims toward Moscow. Since 1991 Japan looks at Russia as a possible alternative source of energy. The relations with China are cold and mainly in the economic field. There are no significant contacts with India and Pakistan.After a very brief post-WWII period as an U.S. ally China has moved to the communist camp in 1949. The next 20 years were the most intense in terms of ideological confrontation with the U.S. and Japan and political rivalry with India. Geopolitical alliance has been established between China and Pakistan to check India. Since late 1960s China began rapprochement to the U.S. in order to check the Soviet expansionism. Since 1980s China and the U.S. have begun a period of intense economic cooperation. Till recently the relations with India remained cold. India during the Cold War has kept more or less to the non-alignment camp with some pro-Soviet tilt. The relations with Pakistan have been cold in times of peace that were followed by brief but bloody wars. USSR has been used by New Delhi as main arms supplier until very recently. Pakistan has used China as regional counterbalance to India. Since India and Pakistan have both tested nuclear devices in 1998 the bilateral relations have been substantially improved.
Reasons and outcomesIndia and Pakistan feel more comfortable as nuclear powers now than as non-nuclear powers some years ago. Pakistan fears no more to be attacked suddenly by India and the fact that India may have some advantage in the number of conventional arms' systems becomes irrelevant given the Pakistani nuclear capabilities. India also fears less the Chinese-Pakistani alliance. Both Islamabad and New Delhi although perceive new threats to their securities. Pakistan fears that China may decide to abandon its former ally in order to sweeten the new rapprochement with India. India in turn fears that a sudden Russian collapse may leave it exposed without any major ally in the region. Its eventual status in the UN Security Council depends finally on the China's goodwill. China itself doesn't feel comfortable as a potentially second world power surrounded by former enemies. Up until now no matter how strong were the sentiments in India and Russia against the U.S.-dominated world, they both agreed that it was more preferable than a China-dominated Asia.Throwing stones at the Japanese diplomatic missions in China while showing goodwill toward India need some additional explanations. Japan has no future as economic superpower outside the U.S.-dominated world. Rising China makes Japan less important. A China-dominated Asia will turn Japan into mere periphery. These reasons make useless for China even to try to attract Japan. India is another story. It may rise either by allying with the U.S. to check China or by allying with China to counter the U.S.-dominated world or by trying to play a third party within a triangle diplomacy with Beijing and Washington. China has no other options if it wants to be a second world power than by trying to attract India and Russia into its orbit where Beijing will be the sun and the other two countries will represent the planets. Russia has the same plans with the only difference that the sun will reside in Moscow. By a gradual rapprochement with China India will increase its stature in America provided it isn't completely subjugated by Beijing. At the end China will most probably get India as a friendly partner but not as a loyal follower.
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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Asia.
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