CHAPTER III A World Regions

Lesson1: Global Divides: The North and the South a. North and South
b. Global South vs. The Third World

Intended Learning Outcomes By the end of this topic/chapter, you must be

able to:
1. Define and understand the existence of the global economic division
2. Differentiate the Global North and the Global South
Lesson 1: Global Divides The world comprises of different countries, people
and natural features which was situated in the different location. Countries
composed of different regions which create an association to have a
common purpose for their security and peace.

The North-South
Divide is the socio-economic and political division that exist between
the wealthy developed countries, known collectively as “the North”, and the
poorer developing countries (least developed countries) or “the South”. The
North is mostly correlated with the Western world and the First World, along
with much of the Second World, while the South largely corresponds with the
Third World and Eastern world. The two groups are often defined in terms of
their drifting levels of wealth, development, income inequality, democracy,
political and economic freedom, as defined by freedom indices. A. North and
South The division between rich and poor countries which most of the
developed countries located at Northern Hemisphere and the most of the
developing countries is in the Southern Hemisphere. It is considered a s a
socio-political division which created a development gap among nation-
states.

The North–South divide is a socio-economic and political division of

Earth popularized in the late 20th century and early 21st century. Generally,
Global North are characterized by established democracy, wealth,
technological advancement, political stability, aging population growth, and
dominance of world trade and politics. This include the United States,
Canada, almost all the European countries, Israel, Cyprus, Japan,
Singapore, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Global South refers to the less–developed countries of the world.
The term “Global South” emerged in the 1950s .The Global South is not as
economically sound and politically stable as their global North counterparts
and tend to be characterized by turmoil, war, conflict, poverty, anarchy and
tyranny (Odeh, 2010). This represents mainly agrarian economies in Sub-
Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Pacific Islands, and the
developing countries in Asia, including the Middle East. It is home to the
BRIC countries: Brazil, India and China, which, along with Indonesia and
Mexico, are the largest Southern states in terms of land area and population.
B. Glob al Sout h vs. The Thir d Worl d During Cold War, the Global Divide
was made official with the West Power (United States and Allied countries)
and the East Power (Soviet Union and China). They divided the world into
three (3) categories that embodies 3 types of countries along the globe: the
First World, Second World, and the Third World.

The term “Third World” is referred as underdeveloped or developing

countries. These countries were those that were well on their way to
becoming rich and “developed”. The Third World was the non-aligned World,
distinct from the First (capitalist) and Second (socialist/communist) Worlds.
But pretty quickly the Third World became a quick-andeasy referent for the
“Poor World” because it has been under-developed by the Rich or “First
World”, through processes of globalization and capitalist expansion (Rigg,
2007) The “Three Worlds Theory” Global North Global South ✓ Comprised of
only one quarter (25%) of the total global population ✓ Richer and more
economically developed region ✓ Accounts for over 90% of all
manufacturing industries ✓ About 95% of the population have enough basic
needs and have access to functioning education systems ✓ Accounts for the
three-quarters (75%) of the global population BUT only accounts a fifth (20%)
of the globally earned income ✓ Poor and less developed region ✓
Relatively low GDP and the high population ✓ Only 5% of country’s
population has enough food and shelter ✓ Source of raw materials and labor
for the “North” ✓ The economies of most countries in the South rely on
 imports from the North and have low technological penetration The “thre e
worl d theor y” mad e no long er sens e whe n in 1989 - 1991, the Second
World ceased to exist as the Soviet Union collapsed. After the demise of the
Second World, new terms were adopted for the socio-economically divided
planet, differentiating a wealthy “Global North” from an impoverished “Global
South”. The “Global North” mostly covers the First World, with much of the
Second World. While “Global South” covers the countries from the Third
World. The emergence of the term “Global South” is normally used to mean
countries that are faced with social, political and economic challenges – for
instance poverty, environmental degradation, human and civil rights abuses,
ethnic and regional conflicts, mass displacements refugees, hunger, and
diseases. The nations of Africa, Central and Latin America, and most of Asia
are collectively known as the “Global South”. The concept of the Global
South shares some of the limitations of the concept of the Third World. It
evokes imaginations of a geographical North-South divide, which does not
correspond to the complex entanglements and uneven developments in the
real world.

Lesson 2: Asian Regionalism

a. Regionalization vs. Globalization
b. Integration of Asia
Intended Learning Outcomes By the end of this topic/chapter, you must be
able to:
1. Distinguish the factors leading to a greater integration of the Asian Region
2. Discuss how different Asian States confront the challenges of Globalization
and Regionalization

Lesson 2: Asian Regionalism

Asia was colo nize d by a varie ty of majo r pow ers, including Portugal, Spain,
the Netherlands, France, Britain, the United States and Japan. Each colonizer
left behind specific social, political and economic legacies. The multiplicity of
colonial experiences only served to emphasize the differences among the
countries and societies of Asia. More recently, the Cold War also divided the
Asian region. ASEAN was the first major regional player to emerge and has
been at the centre of regional developments including APEC, ARF, ASEAN
Plus Three and the East Asian Summit as East Asian regionalism has evolved
over time ASEAN’s pivotal regional role has also been accepted by China and
Japan in good part because they need the ASEAN members as followers if
they ever want to be considered global leaders. This relationship has in turn
given ASEAN considerable leeway in terms of the activities of its member
governments in region-building endeavor . As the result of Asian regionalism it
does not only make Asian economies grown richer but also they become
closer together. Asian regionalism is the product of economic interaction, not
political planning. As a result of successful, outward oriented growth
strategies. (Beeson and Stubb, 2012)

A. Regionalization vs. Globalization

The processes of globalization and regionalization reemerged during the

1980s and heightened after the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. At first,
these two processes are contradicting since globalization, by definition is
global while regionalization is naturally regional. Jacoby and Meunier, 2010,
p.1 defined Globalization as “the increased flows of goods, services, capita,
people, and information across borders” while according to Hurrell, 2007, p.4
Regionalization is “the societal integration and often undirected process of
societal economic interaction”. Further, Regionalization is the formal process
of intergovernmental collaboration between two or more states (Ravenhill,
2008, p. 174)

Regionalism is a political process characterized by economic policy

cooperation and coordination among countries (Claudio,2018). The goal of
regionalism became encapsulated in the concept of an East Asian
community. Although removing economic barriers was the principal thrust of
most agreements to promote regionalism, a ‘community’ connotes shared
values and joint responses to security threats.

DIFFERENCE between Regionalization and Globalization Regionalization

Globalization Nature Divides an area into smaller segments called regions
Promotes integration of economies across state borders all around the world
Market Monopolies are more likely to develop. Monopoly means one producer
controls supply of a good or service, and where the entry of new producers is
prevented or highly restricted. Allows many corporations to trade on
international level; it allows free market Cultural & Societal Relations Does not
support multiculturalism Acceleration to multiculturalism through free and
inexpensive movement of people Aid A regionalized area does not get
involved in the affairs of other areas Globalized international communities are
more willing to aid countries stricken by disasters Technological Advancement
Advanced technology is rarely available in one country or region Globalization
has driven great advances in technology

B. Integration of Asia Regional Integration is the process by which two or

more nation-states agree to cooperate and work closely together to achieve
peace, stability, and wealth. The entire world is moving towards integration, it
is inevitable. In Asia, the Southeast Asian countries have already formed
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) including APEC (Asia
Pacific Economic Council), ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum), ASEAN Plus
Three and the East Asian Summit. This regional power block appears to work
fine, the members states fit very well together due to these factors that leads
the Asian Region into greater integration:
C.
•TRADE: The world economy is intertwined with each other and we all want
and need something from another part of the world, including global trade
facilities, and since these nations are geographically located near each other
they can readily supply each other’s needs.
• SIMILAR CULTURE: The cultures of Asia is diverse, but they do share many
things. This makes it an easier fit during times of negotiations.
• COMMON GOALS: The Asian region recognizes the mutual benefit of a
slow integration, and that is to accelerate the economic growth, social
progress and cultural development and to promote peace.
•SIMILAR SECURITY NEEDS: aside from small localized rebels, this
association needs only to contend with foreign-supported terrorist groups
which are usually handled well.