Conclusion and Thanks
The Freeman fellows met as a group our final day in Vietnam to review the SE Asia tour. We discussed what we had seen and heard over the course of a month in Asia.
It’s clear that SE Asia is experiencing a remarkable period of growth. All of the countries we visited, including Thailand, are poor by American standards, but they are growing quickly. (In SE Asia, western businessmen have discovered the Holy Grail: cheap labor, stabile governments and a market friendly business orientation. They don’t care about the human rights situation.) China, in particular, is becoming a powerhouse.
The people of SE Asia are also freer today, in relative terms, than they have been in the past. They have greater access to information, though they still lack basic freedoms, which people in the West take for granted.
Given the improved economic situation, it’s hard to be anything but optimistic about SE Asia’s future. There is still reason for some skepticism, though. The countries of mainland SE Asia have been rivals and combatants for centuries. They remain deeply suspicious of each other. SE Asia lacks strong regional organizations, such as NATO and the European Union, which bind the people of Europe.
SE Asia is unlike Europe in one other way: Europe has four major powers of roughly equal size. There is no dominant power. In SE Asia, China is vastly larger than the other countries along the Mekong — including the region’s most prosperous country, Thailand. It’s hard to predict how China will behave if and when it becomes a global superpower. (I believe that it will.) What we saw along the Mekong does not bode well for the future: China is developing the river without little regard to the interests and concerns of its smaller neighbors.
Interestingly, the two most experienced members of our group were the most skeptical of the region’s prospects. Our Thai host claimed the “privilege of old age” — pessimism. He was skeptical that China — given the size of its population — could ever achieve a standard of living comparable to what you see in the United States. He did not, however, mention a specific roadblock that might halt China’s continued growth.
Another member of our group, the chancellor of Kapiolani Community College in Hawaii, cautioned that it’s easy to misread the region’s growth. He said that foreign companies and corrupt politicians are making most of the money in SE Asia and that ordinary citizens have benefited very little from the economic boom.
I have a slightly different view. I concede that a small number of people have reaped most of the benefits from the expanding economy in these countries, but it’s also true that ordinary people have benefited as well, albeit to a lesser degree. My home visit host in Thailand told me that modern amenities — paved roads, plumbing and electricity — had come to her village only in the last twenty years. (I imagine that Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are about twenty years behind Thailand in terms of economic development.) So ordinary people are benefiting and will continue to benefit from economic growth.
(It’s worth remembering that the United States underwent a similar transformation at the start of the 20th century. In the age of robber barons, a handful of people controlled most of the country’s wealth. Ordinary citizens worked for pennies a day and endured living conditions harsher than what most people in SE Asia experience today. Eventually, the wealth trickled down. Even today, though, there’s a real gap between the haves and have-nots. As the U.S. economy has grown over the last 30 years, wealthy — skilled and educated — people have benefited more than poor and middle class people.)
I suppose it goes without saying that poor countries tend to be corrupt. They will be less corrupt as they become wealthier and better integrated into the global economy. That may be naïve, but I think it’s true.
SE Asia will continue to progress. That progress may slow. It may be interrupted by crises as yet unforeseen. (Remember the currency crisis of the late 90s?) But the region is certainly moving in the right direction.
I hope to use the Freeman experience to introduce students to a variety of issue, events, and phenomenon. I already host a regular series of seminars — we call the “teas” — for students and faculty and I will use these sessions for this purpose. Future sessions might include the golden triangle, Buddhism, the killing fields, the ruins of Angkor, the Mekong River, temple architecture and so on. I also want to introduce an international component to my mass media courses.
The Freeman fellowship was a wonderful opportunity, adventure and learning opportunity for me. For a lot of other people, it was a lot of work. The trip required an enormous amount of planning. We were blessed with a great staff, starting with RicardoTrimillos, the head of the Asians Studies department of the University of Hawaii. Trimillos didn’t come on the trip, but he helped plan it.
Pattie Dunn, the project coordinator for the Freeman Initiative, represented the University of Hawaii on the trip. Deeply experienced in the region, Dunn is blessed with an wonderful, outgoing personality. She made sure to include everyone in our conversations.
Aaron Sorenson, a graduate of the Asian Studies department at the University of Hawaii, joined our group at the assistant coordinator. Just 29 years old, Aaron has traveled the world and immersed himself in many cultures. He’s a kind, generous person who loves to share his knowledge and insights. He’ll be working on advanced degrees at the University of California-Berkeley.
We were blessed to have a professor from Thailand, Charnvit Kasetsiri, join us for most of the trip. He gave us insights into the local culture and answered all of our questions, even the dumb ones. (And yes, there are dumb questions. I asked a few myself.)
We couldn’t have made this trip without Ernest. He supervised the entire expedition taking care of big problems and small problems. No request was too small. He did it all.
Roger represented the travel agency which managed the Freeman trip. He worked tirelessly, day and night, to insure that the trip went smoothly He counted heads and counted bags. He arranged our meals. He handled all the details, leaving us with nothing to do but relax.
Before Roger joined us, Mr. Big represented the travel agency. A soft spoken guy, he enjoyed sharing his culture with the Freeman participants.
A local guide showed us each city. Each one was knowledgeable and friendly.
Jenny, our China guide.
Kantapong Thepsurin, our guide in Northern Thailand and Myanmar
Our guide in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Our guide in Luang Praband, Laos
Our guide in Vientiene, Laos
Our guide in Siem Reap and Angkor
Our guide in Phnom Penh and the killing fields
Our guide in Saigon
In addition to great guides, we started with a great group of participants. No complainers here. Everyone participated in our activities. Everyone enjoyed each other’s company.
Barbara Ross, my wife for a month, has a wonderful, infectious laugh. An economics professor, she’s a champion shopper, too.
Dennis Nullet is a geographer. A real gentleman. He made me think throughout the trip.
Leon Richards is an administrator and a teacher. He never missed an opportunity to interact with local people and to recruit students to Kapiolani Community College.
Jim Rush is a philosopher; a kind and deeply spiritual man.
Leah Creque-Harris teaches composition and literature. Earth mother and class act.
Cecile Yancu: animal lover, vegetarian, Canadian, photographer, and sociologist. Need I say more? A very nice person.
Anna Lee is everyone’s favorite younger sister. The girl next door. She teaches psychology. (She didn’t always sleep. This is the only photo I could find of her.
And last but not least…
Finally, SE Asia is a wonderful place to find unique arts and crafts. I brought home a few things, speak up now to claim your share.
LARGE TAPESTRY (CLAIMED BY KATHLEEN)
PINS (CLAM CLAIMED BY MOM…ONE AVAILABLE)
DRAGON STATUES (AVAILABLE)
ELEPHANT TAPESTRY (AVAILABLE)
TWO OIL PAINTINGS (CLAIMED BY MIKE)
TWO PAINTINGS MADE BY ELEPHANTS (ONE CLAIMED BY KATHLEEN, ONE AVAILABLE)
PILLOW COVERS (CLAIMED BY LORI AND KEVIN)
PUPPETS (ONE FOR MIKE, ONE AVAILABLE)
SHAWL (FOR MOM)
STONE BOXEX (ONE FOR DAD, ONE FOR MIKE)
WIND CHIMES (AVAILABLE)
TEXTILES (AVAILABLE)
I also have a bag of small gift for small children.
Add comment July 12th, 2006