The politics of Asia are extremely varied as would be expected of such a large landmass and a diverse population. Constitutional monarchies, absolute monarchies, one-party states, federal states, dependent territories, liberal democracies and military dictatorships are all factors in the region, as well as various forms of independence movements. Civilization has a long history throughout Asia and it probably involved politics right from the start although some of the earliest discernible political structures arose in Mesopotamia with the advent of writing offering details of these politics. A large and well organized civil service the like of which arose in China is also a necessary adjunct to politics. Much of the political climate in Asia today is affected by colonialism and imperialism of the past with some states retaining close links with their former colonial governors while others involved in bitter independence struggles the consequences of which continue to be felt.The situation today is still mixed, with hostilities in parts of Asia such as the continuing tensions over Kashmir, primarily between India and Pakistan, as well as economic competitiveness between the People's Republic of China and India. There are also moves towards greater co-operation and communication within the region with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a notable example.

GovernmentThe geography of Mesopotamia had a profound impact on the political development of the region. Among the rivers and streams, the Sumerian people built the first cities along with irrigation canals which were separated by vast stretches of open desert or swamp where nomadic tribes roamed. Communication among the isolated cities was difficult and, at times, dangerous. Thus, each Sumerian city became a city-state, independent of the others and protective of its independence. At times one city would try to conquer and unify the region, but such efforts were resisted and failed for centuries. As a result, the political history of Sumer is one of almost constant warfare. Eventually Sumer was unified by Eannatum, but the unification was tenuous and failed to last as the Akkadians conquered Sumeria in 2331 BC only a generation later. The Akkadian Empire was the first successful empire to last beyond a generation and see the peaceful succession of kings. The empire was relatively short-lived, as the Babylonians conquered them within only a few generations.

Quote on government and political systems:"The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government."

--Thomas Jefferson to Maryland Republicans, 1809. ME 16:359

Definition of terms:Government- the organization, that is the governing authority of a political unit, the ruling power in a political society, and the apparatus through which a governing body functions and exercises authority.

State- it signifies a self-sufficient body of persons united together in one community for the defense of their rights, and to do right and justice to foreigners. In this sense, the state means the whole people united into one body politic.

Political system- the set of formal legal institutions that constitute a government or a state. More broadly defined, however, the term comprehends actual as well as prescribed forms of political behavior (Encyclopedia Britannica Online)

Different Government Systems in ASIA

Color-coding:orange - parliamentary republics green - presidential republics, executive presidency linked to a parliament yellow - presidential republics, semi-presidential system blue - presidential republics, full presidential system red - parliamentary constitutional monarchies in which the monarch does not personally exercise power magenta - constitutional monarchies in which the monarch personally exercises power, often (but not always) alongside a weak parliament purple - absolute monarchies brown - republics where the dominant role of a single party is codified in the constitution beige - states where constitutional provisions for government have been suspended grey - countries which do not fit any of the above systems

Republic

Republic

is aform of governmentin which the country is considered a "public matter" (Latin:res publica), not the private concern or property of the rulers, and where offices of states are subsequently directly or indirectly elected or appointed rather than inherited. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of state is not amonarch.

Many countries in Asia function under a republic-style government, with the division of power into several branches and different political parties from which to choose. Officials are elected to terms of a specified length and are chosen by the voters in democratic elections. Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, South Korea and Sri Lanka are just some of the countries that function under this type of government.

Peoples Republic of China1 October 1949 Mao Ze Dong declared the inauguration of the Peoples Republic of China in Tiananmen Square.

Mao framed the government under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with the intention of promoting the idea of a peoples democratic dictatorship.

The government established by Mao Ze Dong is an example of a one-party state.

One-Party State-- States in which political power is concentrated within a single political party whose operations are largely fused with the government hierarchy. However, some do have elected governments.-- examples:Peoples Republic of China (Communist Party)Cuba (Communist Party)Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (Workers Party)Laos (Revolutionary Party)Syria (Arab Socialist Bath Party)Vietnam (Communist Party)

National Peoples Congress (NPC)- established by the CCP in 1954 as the highest assembly of the government.

The framework of the government of China aims to strengthen the administration of the CCP; spread dictatorship; and to enforce a centralized government.

Mao believed that the key to economic progress was by advancing first the heavy industries while placing agriculture behind.

Republic of the Philippines

ThePhilippines ,officially known as theRepublic of the Philippines(Filipino:Republika ng Pilipinas), is asovereign stateinSoutheast Asiain the western Pacific Ocean.

UNION

Anorganizationjoined toprotecttheir commoninterestsand improve their conditions.

Union of Myanmar

Since 1962, military dictatorship has reigned as the government of Myanmar.

January 1948- the British declared Burmese independence.

Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League- the resistance movement which fought against Japanese rule during the Second World War emerged as the main political force after Japan's defeat.

Gen. Aung San - considered Father of Burmaled this resistance movement.In 1947 he was assassinated by conservative opponents together with his close associates

U Nu - the AFPFL vice-president became the first premier of the Union of Burma from 1948-1962.

*For the first decade of independence therewas a parliamentary democracy, set against a backdrop of revolts by communists and other insurgent groups.

Despite the efforts of Aung San Suu Kyi and the rest of the world, the military continues to control the government in Myanmar.The Burmese still continue the struggle to achieve political as well as socio-economic reforms.

Monarchy

Amonarchyis a form ofgovernmentin whichsovereigntyis actually or nominally embodied in a single individual (themonarch).

Kingdom of Thailand (Siam)Ratcha Anachak Thai

Kingdom of Thailand (Siam)Constitutional Monarchy- systems in which a prime minister is the active head of the executive branch of government and also of the legislature. - The head of state is a constitutional monarch who only exercises his powers with the consent of the government, the people or their representatives.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand

Federation

Federation

(Latin:foedus, foederis, 'covenant'), also known as afederal state, is a political entity characterized by aunionof partiallyself-governing statesor regions united by a central (federal) government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the component states, as well as the division of power between them and the central government, are typically constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a unilateral decision of the latter

Federation of Malaysia

Federation of MalaysiaFederalism-- States in which the federal governments shares power with semi-independent regional governments. In many cases, the central government is (in theory) a creation of the regional governments; a prime example is the United States.- the federation of Malaysia currently has 13 states and 3 federal territories.

Parliamentary- A parliamentary republic is a system in which a prime minister is the active head of the executive branch of government and also leader of the legislature. The president's degree of executive power may range from being reasonably significant (eg. Poland) to little or none at all (eg. Ireland). Where the president holds little executive power, their function is primarily that of a symbolic figurehead.

While the Prime Minister heads the government, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong remains as the symbolic head of the federation being selected from the line of the Sultan.

The structure of the Malaysian government is a result of its multi-ethnicity which caused the establishment of ethnic-based political parties:- United Malays National Organization- Malayan Chinese Organization- Malayan Indian Congress

The differing ideologies also contributed to the internal division of Malaysia.

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