Young Asians embrace globalization, and in the wake of the global economic crisis are emphatically not turning inwards.
The rising generation of Asians has an expansive view of a broader Asia. They support the pragmatic, incremental pro-market policies that have underpinned Asia's spectacular growth over the past half-century and want to build on these to knit together the region. In short, they want to see more regional cooperation and integration. "Rather than thinking about our own personal domains, it's time to think on a greater scale: the scale of countries, the scale of a continent," says Pakistan's Khawaja Ali Zubair.
Zubair and other essayists entered the "Asia's Challenge 2020" contest - run by the Asia Business Council in partnership with Time magazine and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore - and were tasked with naming the biggest problem facing the region over the next decade and to propose solutions. Through the Eyes of Tiger Cubs: Views of Asia's Next Generation draws excerpts from more than 80 essays of the nearly 400 submitted to the contest. The essays tackle education, inequality, demographics, environment, governance, geopolitics and Asian identity. While Americans and Europeans fret about the rise of Asia, the young Asians featured in this book worry about a poor educational system, ineffective governance, bad jobs and environmental degradation.
Particularly notable is a tectonic generational shift. The Tiger Cubs' grandparents came of age at a time of war, revolution, decolonization and chronic poverty. Their parents worked hard and didn't ask questions. For the most part, they were simply happy to be able to work - they were the brains and the muscle for the so-called "Asian miracle," the half-century of unprecedented economic growth that was built with their blood, sweat and toil.
With a handful of exceptions, most Asian countries have settled their existential threats and focused on economic and political development. For the first time, many nations in the region have had an opportunity to think about a larger project of collective identity, and many of their essays call for greater cooperation to resolve the economic, political, immigration and financial challenges that affect the region. Young Asians also want to build on the progress that has been made. "Asia should set as its shared objective the attainment of prosperity," writes Marikit G. Manalang of the Philippines.
The Tiger Cubs grew up in an era of unusual peace and unprecedented prosperity. Theirs has been a time of reform, not only in China and India but around the region. They don't remember Maoism or the Soviet Union. But they know the internet and satellite TV and live in a world of always-on information. All but the poorest villagers have an idea of a world of prosperity and freedom. They have an idea of the global standard, whether it's the latest mobile phone or government policies. And they see no reason why their country can't aim for that standard. "There is no doubt," writes India's Rohit Pathak, "that the coming decade will be Asia's." But the biggest single stumbling block is poor governance. "The biggest hurdle in the way of good governance is corruption," Pathak adds, proposing a range of technological and political reforms ranging from transparency and accountability in government, a free media and, above all, harnessing the power of information technology through an expanded version of India's embryonic Unique Identification Number system.
