Editing Asian values (section)

== History ==
Historically, there has been no shared "Asian" identity, and the concept of unified geographical regional identity at the time of its popularity in the 20th century was not strictly limited to Asia.<ref name="De Bary (1998)">De Bary W. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pg5z-ho6Y4EC&q=%22asian+values%22 "Asian Values and Human Rights: A Confucian Communitarian Perspective."] Harvard University Press, 1998 {{ISBN|0674049551}}, 9780674049550.</ref>{{rp|page=2}} 

Asian values gained popularity in the People's Republic of [[China]], the [[Republic of China]] (under the [[Kuomintang]]), [[Malaysia]] (under [[Mahathir Mohamad]]), [[Singapore]] (under [[Lee Kuan Yew]]), [[Indonesia]], [[South Korea]] and in [[Japan]] (perhaps as early as the pre World War II era).<ref>Bar M. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XBXMOLjOVAcC&q=%22asian+values%22 "Cultural Politics and Asian Values: The Tepid War."] Routledge, 2004 {{ISBN|0415338263}}, 9780415338264.</ref> In the West, the study of Asian values was seen as a way to understand Asia and foster a closer relationship with the region.<ref>Cauquelin J. et al. [https://books.google.com/books?id=A42sAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22asian+values%22&pg=PT3 "Asian Values: Encounter with Diversity."] Routledge, 2014 {{ISBN|1136841253}}, 9781136841255.</ref>

Proponents claim the concept helped reconcile [[Islam]], [[Confucianism]] and [[Hinduism]] in [[Singapore]] and [[Malaysia]], and was unifying because it was different to the philosophy of the West.<ref>Nishida K ''Nishida Kitaro Zenshu'' (Complete Works of Nishida Kitaro in 19 volumes), 4th ed., Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo 1989.</ref> Lee Kuan Yew maintained that, more than economics or politics, a nation's culture determines its fate,<ref>Zakaria F [http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/49691/fareed-zakaria/a-conversation-with-lee-kuan-yew "A Conversation with Lee Kwan Yu"] ''Foreign Affairs'', Journal of the Council on Foreign Affairs, a non-partisan organisation, Florida, US. March – April 1994.</ref> describing Asian values as the "primacy of group interests over individual interests" which "support the total group effort necessary to develop rapidly".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Huntington |first1=Samuel P. |title=The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order |date=1997 |publisher=Penguin |page=108}}</ref> He described the difference between Asian values and [[Western values (West)|Western values]] as such: "The main object is to have a well-ordered society so that everybody can have maximum enjoyment of his freedoms. This freedom can only exist in an ordered state and not in a natural state of contention and anarchy".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Velayutham |first1=Selvaraj |title=Responding to Globalization Nation, Culture, and Identity in Singapore |date=2007 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |page=74}}</ref>

In [[Japan]], a concept of "Ideals of the East" was embraced in some [[Japanese nationalism|nationalist]] circles, because it challenged the West and offered the possibility of Japanese leadership in a ''new Asia''.<ref>Okakura K ''The Ideals of the East'', Tuttle Publishing, North Clarenton 1904, 2002.</ref> Some attribute the economic success of East and Southeast Asian nations in the 1960s to 1980s to  "Asian values" — a ''third-way'', Asian political model that was an alternative to [[totalitarianism]] and [[liberal democracy]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}{{who|date=May 2014}} Japan's [[Japanese economic miracle|economic miracle]] under the [[1955 System]], where the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]] has been the dominant Japanese party nearly continuously in power since 1955, is used as an example of the success of this political model.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

The concept of "Asian values" was also evident in the planning of the handover of [[Hong Kong]] to China in 1997.{{clarify|date=May 2014}}<ref>Beatty B. [https://books.google.com/books?id=vbBFOPMKrAkC&q=%22asian+values%22 "Democracy, Asian Values, and Hong Kong: Evaluating Political Elite Beliefs."] Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003 p14 {{ISBN|0275976882}}, 9780275976880.</ref>

=== Post-2000 ===
The popularity of the concept has not persist. Some speculate it might have contributed to the religious, social, cultural and economic changes occurring in Asia in that time — for example, the [[Asian financial crisis]] and the [[Fall of Suharto|collapse]] of the [[New Order (Indonesia)|Suharto regime]] in [[Indonesia]] may have been successfully counteracted by liberal democracy.<ref>Milner A. [http://dspace.anu.edu.au/html/1885/41912/values.html "What's Happened to Asian Values?"] Faculty of Asian Studies, ANU, 1999.</ref><ref>Krugman P. [http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/swansong.html "Latin America's Swan Song"] An MIT web page article, unsourced and date not stated. Accessed 21 May 2014.</ref><ref>Francis Fukuyama F. "The End of History and the Last Man". Free Press 1992. {{ISBN|0-02-910975-2}}.</ref>

In 2006, [[Jusuf Kalla]], the vice-president of Indonesia, linked Asian values with the proposed East Asian Free Trade Agreement and the East Asian Community arising from the [[East Asia Summit]]. He partly defended Asian values by placing emphasis on co-operation over competition.<ref>[http://english.people.com.cn/200612/01/eng20061201_327303.html "Indonesia calls for countries to bear Asian values."] People's Daily Online, an English language Chinese online news website. Accessed 21 May 2014.</ref>

In [[East Timor]], the idea of "Asian values", or "Timorese values", that diverged from the internationally understood idea of democracy emerged following the [[2012 East Timorese presidential election]]. This election saw the incumbent [[José Ramos-Horta]], a member of what was seen as an older generation linked to the introduction of democracy, eliminated in the first round.<ref>{{cite book |last=Feijó |first=Rui Graça |editor1-last=Ingram |editor1-first=Sue |editor2-last=Kent |editor2-first=Lia |editor3-last=McWilliam |editor3-first=Andrew |title=A New Era?: Timor-Leste after the UN |date=17 September 2015 |publisher=ANU Press |isbn=9781925022513 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulSyDQAAQBAJ |chapter=Challenges to the Consolidation of Democracy |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulSyDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA59 |pages=61–62}}</ref> Ramos-Horta would, however, go on to win the presidency again a decade later, following a campaign aimed at addressing global issues affecting East Timor.<ref name="reu21ap">{{cite news |date=21 April 2022 |title=Ramos-Horta declares victory in East Timor presidential election |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ramos-horta-declares-victory-east-timor-presidential-election-2022-04-21/ |url-status=live |access-date=30 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421074711/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ramos-horta-declares-victory-east-timor-presidential-election-2022-04-21/ |archive-date=21 April 2022}}</ref>

"Asian values" continues to be discussed in academia with reference to the question of the universality of [[human rights]], as opposed to a position of [[cultural relativism]].<ref>
[http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jqzl.htm "The Asian values debate and its relevance to international humanitarian law."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106040634/http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jqzl.htm|date=6 January 2014}} ICRC.</ref>