Alternative Centres of Power

About this unit

This unit studies the regions and countries that emerged as important centres of economic and political power after the Cold War, apart from the United States. It covers the European Union, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the economic rise of China, along with India's relations with China, Japan and South Korea. The unit helps you understand regional cooperation and why a single-power world is often questioned.

Key ideas

• Regional organisations as a way for states to cooperate in trade, security and culture.
• The European Union: from the Coal and Steel Community to a political and economic union.
• ASEAN and the "ASEAN Way" of informal, cooperative decision-making.
• China's economic reforms since 1978 and its "open door" policy.
• Japan and South Korea as advanced Asian economies.
• India's Look East (later Act East) policy.

How to prepare

Learn the founding years and treaties: ECSC (1951), Treaty of Rome (1957), Maastricht Treaty (1992), ASEAN (1967), China's reforms (1978). Be clear on the features of each organisation and on what makes it an alternative centre of power. Expect match-the-following and assertion-reason style questions.