Are Western and Asian Societies Similar - Essay Example

The violation of human rights and the war on democracy continue as the cycle of life goes on. Many excuses have been made by Asian leaders against human rights and democracy to prevent them from spreading in their societies. Asian leaders have also introduced new concepts that would reshape the definition of government power and individual rights. According to Inoue Tatsuo, the term “Asian value” is an excuse that was introduced by the Asian leaders after the Cold War to weaken the call for democracy in Asian society and identify it as an alien from the Western world.  In this essay, I will focus on Tatsuo’s three main ideas of sovereignty, Asian culture and tradition, and religious diversity.

         Tatsuo views Asian values as unauthentic and driven from an anti-West-centric stance. In fact, the Asian governments invented this concept to increase their power and silence Asians’ voices by restricting their liberties. According to Tatsuo, the term Asian value is a concept used by Asian leaders to protect their societies from being invaded by Western concepts that contradict their culture and tradition.

         Indeed, Tatsuo suggests that even though Asian leaders do not like the idea of democracy – viewing it as a Western value that is being forced into their society, they contradict themselves by accepting the term sovereignty, which is also a Western concept that was introduced by philosophical westerners such as Jean Bodin and Machiavelli. In fact, Tatsuo points out that Asian society uses sovereignty as a way to place the power of the state above individual rights. A good example is the Bangkok Declaration which manipulates the meaning of sovereignty by illustrating the importance of respecting the nation and not interfering with foreign affairs.

         In my opinion, Tatsuo’s argument on sovereignty is valid. Introducing democracy to Asian society will disrupt the hierarchy system that places the state on top of its citizens. In fact, increasing the individuals’ respect and love for their state will increase their feeling of responsibility towards their nation and consider protecting their states as their first priority regardless of their human rights. Indeed, the more value is given to the state the more power it will have and the less powerful individuals will feel, which will increase their fear of expressing their voices even if their rights are violated. Indeed, this hierarchy system allows the state to control its citizens easily under the right of sovereignty and disregarding the rights of individuals.

         Furthermore, Tatsuo argues that Western and Asian societies are similar in terms of religious diversity. Thus, if Asian society accepts democracy it will protect citizens’ rights because democracy means separating religion from politics. There is a large number of religious minorities in Asia. Therefore, democracy is a good idea for Asian societies because it will open the door for religious minorities to gain power, as their rights will increase. This might lead to an increase in the tension between religious groups and create a clash of ideology, as each group will try to oppose the other. There is also a possibility that religious groups would engage in politics. Indeed, increasing the power of religious groups will weaken the state’s ability to control them.

         Moreover, rejecting democracy is linked with the fear that it would interfere with the Asian culture and tradition. According to Lee Kuan Yew, the former prime minister of Singapore, Western societies are in disorder and chaos as more freedom is given to individuals leading to disrespect for the government and making it hard for the government to control its people. Indeed, accepting democracy will raise other issues that will clash with the Asian culture and tradition. Indeed, giving people the right to express their opinion freely without any limits will lead to the introduction of new Western concepts; such as accepting gay rights, revolting against the government if it is oppressing the people, living separate from the family, and many other rights that Western societies enjoy. To illustrate more, when individuals get the right to leave their families when they reach 18 years, it means that the Asian society is losing its uniqueness and strength that is centered on the idea of family and sharing, which Asian leaders view as their source of success.

         After reading Tatsuo's view on the term Asian value, I started to question whether Asian values really exist or not; especially since many societies especially some Middle Eastern societies share similar values especially when it comes to the idea of family and sovereignty. In fact, analyzing Tatsuo’s article opens my eyes to the fact that the term Asian value might not only be an excuse to fight against democracy but also a method to protect the state’s power and control the individual’s power due to the fear that more rights and freedom given to the people might destabilize the nation and weaken the state’s power, making it hard to control them; hence leading the county to chaos and destruction.

         Furthermore, with the increase in economic growth in Asia, it is important to accept democracy not only because it protects people’s rights but also because it helps to give them a sense of power and control. In fact, I believe that with the increase of development, the easy access to the Internet and the huge number of people studying aboard, a new identity that is Pro-Western perspective is being shaped. These identities should not be ignored or oppressed especially because most of them are from a younger generation that is seeking change and gaining the power to express their power. In my opinion, refusing to accept these new identities can cause a big threat to national stability, unless they are recognized.