Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

In his recent book on Benedict XVI, George Weigel, makes a similar point. The evangelization of China is one of the four or five key opportunities before Benedict's pontificate. There is the problem of bishops chosen by Beijing rather than the Vatican, but the Catholic Church has a long history, going back to the early Middle Ages, of dealing with states that think they can pick compliant bishops. Also the Evangelical Protestants have already made some headway there (my neice has spent the last two summers there as part of a church group teaching English, using the Bible every chance she gets). And can the Latter Day Saints with their intense missionary program be far behind? I don't think China yet senses the spiritual tsunami that is about to hit and what effect it will have.

Could it be that the reason why Western religion seems such a good fit to the Western-style market economies and lifestyles is that these entities (Western religion and Western market/lifestyle) have, literally, grown up together?

As such, should we not understand them as the "natural" checks and balances against each other that comes with this type of environment?

Earliest Christianity, as I have suggested before, seems to be the anti-globalization/anti-abundance "end-times" religion that emerges in the face of the Greek and Roman "globalization" (in the sense of Nayan Chanda).

Thus, at even this very early stage, globalization and its anti-thesis, earliest Christianity, are trying to work things out in this rapidly connecting world?

Isn't what they are going through is the birth of individual liberty? Liberty through free enterprise, property rights, freedom of movement and association.

This is what I've learned from Tom anyway. Free enterprise leads to personal liberty.

This is why, I tend to agree with Tom about Iran. They may be a way to liberty in Iran through economic engagement. We should try it, while ensuring we can protect our interests in the region.

This strategy would not have worked with Iraq or North Korea now. Thus Bush's strategy for Iraq, no matter how messy, may be the only way.

The current issue of Foreign Affairs has an article by Thomas Farr, "Diplomacy in an Age of Faith" which made me think of Dr. Barnett's many musings on religion and globalization.

Basic gist is that theology and democracy developed hand-in-hand in the US with good results, so growing religiosity is an opportunity more than a threat to US interests, but "Most analysts lack the vocabulary and imagination to fashion remedies that draw on religion, a shortcoming common to all major schools of foreign policy".

A search of newspapers of the later 1800s at the time England and America were seeking to tap the potential market wealth of China, 'civilize it,' and convert it to sophisticated Christianity would have shown very similar comments to the current Killer bit quote.

The point is that the majority Chinese people were always very much like average Americans. Only the ideologues and 'experts' in both nations could not accept that,

One of the reasons our Transcontinental railroad was started was to help tap the Chinese market. It then required Chinese immigrant workers teams to do the hardest part on time. What is often overlooked is the sense of cooperative community and entrepreneurial skills those immigrants displayed.

Everything old seems new again. ;-)

This is my theory of distinguishing between the personal and political aspects of religion. In economically "primitive" societies, religion plays a political role, in that it essentially dictates rules of behavior. In such societies, the state is generally synonymous with religious institutions. In more economically "advanced" societies, greater individual autonomy diminishes the need for religion as a political force, and the state, independent of religious institutions, takes a more important role in making rules. This is why fundamentalists often resist economic development. However, with affluence comes education, free-time, time to think, and a search for meaning in the lives of individuals. Thus, the personal, as opposed to the political, role of religion becomes more important. And, it is why the American model of separation of church and state, as opposed to the European model of official secularism, is the wave of the future.

Tremendous comments, gentlemen. Brings to mind Deadwood, There Will Be Blood, Dead Man. 54 million Chinese Christians is wikipedia's number. The missionaries follow the markets to the poor places, and lead too sometimes I guess.

RE: "Yes, religion is important during hard times, but it’s even more important during boom times. Religion matters most when change comes fastest."

Let's cast that concept over the Islamic world for a moment. Islam and fanatacism are not synonyms but it is easy for reasonable people to witness the fanatics and have apprehensions if religous feeling in Islamic countries strengthens. BUT...though it may seem a counter-intuitive proposition, increased religous observance in Muslim countries is probably be a good thing and could lead to more connectivity faster.

I'm still sorting it all out for myself so I can't yet clearly articulate the concept, but the more I learn about Islam as not only a religious tradition but as a basic foundation for entire societies (by setting and enforcing legal, social, academic, and even artistic standards) the more I suspect that to be the case.

Before anyone gets the wrong impression about where my comment is coming from, I should point out that I support what we are doing in Iraq and have spent a non-trivial part of my career in the Middle East and Afghanistan as a combatant. I generally have no problems with things like Guantanamo, secret CIA prisons overseas, etc.

Great comments by all! Especially Louis who draws the connection:

"The point is that the majority Chinese people were always very much like average Americans. Only the ideologues and 'experts' in both nations could not accept that."

"One of the reasons our Transcontinental railroad was started was to help tap the Chinese market. It then required Chinese immigrant workers teams to do the hardest part on time. What is often overlooked is the sense of cooperative community and entrepreneurial skills those immigrants displayed."

Illustrated in dead tree form in "Chinese on the American Frontier" by Arif Yeung, and Malcolm Dirlik.

American Manifest Destiny has root in establishing a more direct route to China.

"President Polk had a short list of "great measures" he intended to accomplish. Among them was the acquisition of Mexican California. Gold had not been discovered there yet, but Polk wanted California and its magnificent San Francisco Bay as the American gateway to trade with China and other Asian nations. Polk was worried that other nations, such as England or France, might take California if the United States did not act."

http://www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria20_1a.htm

Ditto to: "Everything old seems new again. ;-)"