The Role of Nationalism
In the article ‘Culture Is Destiny’ (Foreign Affairs, 73(2), 1994) Lee kuan Yew discusses ideas about Singapore and the importance of ‘culture’ to its people. Lee suggests the implementation of a Western styled democracy inapplicable to Asian societies due to cultural differences. I will discuss the adoption of ‘cultural nationalism’ and ‘Asian values’ and its use by elites in Singapore to justify the current regime’s stance against democracy. I will argue the implementation of a Western styled democratic political nation state can still accommodate cultural issues Lee suggests are unworkable. East Asian society has been under pressure to apply democratic systems of government due to globalisation. In the case of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew selectively adopted the idea of a ‘Western’ free market economy and as a result ,has had great economic success (Dae Jung 1994, p. 118). This occurred while elites such as Lee Quan Yew, held tight political control over the country Zakaria argues that: ‘Singapore’s government can best be described a
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Quan Yew, Foreign Affairs, Dae Jung, According Locke, Cotton Rodan, Yew Singapore, Finally Ive, Yews Xiushen, Kuan Yew, Singapore PAP, cultural nationalism, asian values, lee kuan, jung 1994, dae jung, western styled, lee quan yew, quan yew, lee quan, lee kuan yew, styled democracy, asian society, western styled democracy, nationalism asian values, cohesion societal loyalty,
Approximate Word count = 705
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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