Virginia Carley December 3, 2009 GEOG 120 East Asian Realm Quote and Source: "When the first

movie opens in Chinese cinemas on Nov. 27, that will directly promote sales." "Then later, as the second movie sweeps the whole world we will carry out another round of promotion."-- Chang Xiaowu, deputy marketing director of Jieli, the publishing house that bought the Chinese rights to the Twilight series. Christian Science Monitor, 11/20/09, New Moon opening night: Chinese women are swept off their feet." Synopsis: This article discusses the immense reception that the Twilight book series has received from young women in China. The books have sold 1.5 million copies in China, and they have been in the top 30 of the best seller list for the past 10 months. The first film in the series is premiering on November 27 in China (the second film has already premiered in the U.S.), and the above quote by the marketing director of the Twilights Chinese publisher reflects his hopes that even more book sales will coincide with the opening of the films. The article also discusses the infatuation that young Chinese females seem to have with the books. On a popular Chinese website for the series, one female wrote that Twilight is a complete and idealistic portrayal of the most beautiful kind of love that can exist in a womans heart. According to Mr. Chang, over 60% of the readers are middle school and high school girls, and Chinese women in their 20s are also big fans. Maxim: This article makes reference to the maxim Everything and Everybody is Connected to Everything and Everybody Else. Despite the fact that China is a distant nation with a uniquely different culture from the U.S. and the Western hemisphere, the Twilight series is extremely popular with young women there, just as it is in the U.S. This reflects the fact that popular culture is a pervasive and unifying force in the international community. The themes found in the Twilight series are universal, connecting young women from across the globe to each other, whether they know it or not. The article and quote reflect the impact of mass media on the world, bringing the work of an American author to a massive market of young females in China. Place Character: Though up until recently referred to as a third world country, Chinas economy has grown immensely in the past two decades, contributing to the overall wealth of the nation and its citizens. Chinas place character can be defined by this growing wealth and the increasing interest of its younger generations in American popular culture. The increasing quality of life for Chinas citizens provides greater opportunities for young Chinese to participate in popular and consumer culture. This is reflected by the huge interest in the Twilight books and movies.

South Asian Realm Quote and Source: Now that we have in a sense arrived, what do we do? Do we participate in the standard great-power exceptionalism, or do we leverage our power to create a rule-bound system?Pratap Bhanu Mehta, an Indian political scientist. NY TIMES, 11/28/09, Growing, Yes, but India Has Reasons to Worry Synopsis: The article discusses the many problems that India is facing despite its increasing status in the global community. Indias neighboring countries, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka, have all undergone rebellions in the past decade, and India has found itself dealing with the spillover. The article goes on to discuss Indias conflict with Pakistan, where attacks by Muslim extremists resulted in 163 deaths in Mumbai a year ago. Furthermore, India has a history of problems with China and recently verbal and military joustinghas stirred deep anxiety [in India], now heightened by suspicions that America is playing up to China. Along with problems with neighboring countries, India also faces problems in the global community, particularly involving climate change, trade, nuclear proliferation [and] intellectual property rights. Reflected in Mr. Mehtas above quote, India is searching for a cohesive foreign policy as it attempts to stabilize itself amidst so many problems. Maxim: This article makes reference to the maxim Location Provides Benefits and Burdens. India is situated in a volatile region of the world that has forced them to face a number of challenges related to their neighbors. This has hindered their ability to create an obstinate and unilateral stance on foreign affairs. Indias location in this realm, combined with their difficult past, clearly creates certain burdens that countries in more stable regions of the world may not be able to understand. Place Character: Indias place character can be described as in a state of flux, caught between its colonial past and its recent economic success and growing status. Though they are attempting to get on par with the worlds most economically and politically stable nations, they still face many difficult challenges, as mentioned above. India can currently be characterized by their uncertainty in determining the nations future identity as they make their way onto the international scene. They are struggling to decide whether they should take the more typical, capitalist and self-interested stance or whether they should establish themselves as a moral beacon, something that is very difficult to do when dealing with complicated international conflicts.