East and West (1998)

Asian Tiger economies did not develop because of authoritarian leadership; they developed in spite of it! This is a sharp documentary made for television about economic and political development in Asia. The series is written and presented by the former and last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten. The series focuses on South Korea, China and the South East Asian tiger countries of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. It traces their rapid economic development, typically from the mid twentieth century, and ends with the aftermath of the 1997 Asian Financial crisis. The series was made in 1998 and aired in connection with Governor Patten's publication of a book by the same title "East and West". A center point in the book and TV series is that the Asian tiger countries all developed with a strong man at the helm and without the typical checks and balances of a democratic society. Patten shows how the societies therefore lacked the mechanisms to avert the financial crisis that subsequently set the societies back significantly again. In the 1990's, the rapid development of the Asian tigers was much admired and when compared to countries elsewhere in South Asia and Africa which lacked strong leadership, it was generally felt that "someone had to take charge", even if it meant authoritarian leadership. Patten is of a very different mind and shows cause and effect with western societies shifting focus from production to design, service and consumption with the subsequent requirement for outsourcing and OEM manufacturing elsewhere. A change in the west which became a development wave that much of Asia rode on. Patten argues that the Asian tigers did not develop rapidly because of authoritarian leaders; they developed in spite of authoritarian leaders. The series is as relevant as ever in light of 2011 freedom fights across the Middle East. These developments support the view that authoritarian governments are not sustainable in the long run. Especially in the face of the obvious developments and basic rights people enjoy in countries that have a democratic system and a free press; an argument Patten have subsequently made in articles published in 2011.