How Nations Rebuild: The East Asian Experience

Wars transform the world: they lead to the collapse of empires and change alliances, revealing the nature of global socio-political systems. Today we are witnessing the collapse of the last of the empires, perhaps the most ridiculous of them, which bears the official name of Russia. This means an offensive on the way to the complete liberation of Ukraine from the colonial yoke. Recovery is ahead: reconstruction of the post-war infrastructure, modernization of industry, renewal of the social and humanitarian sphere. However, after the victory, the Ukrainians will have to solve many problems.

The experiences of Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, and Vietnam, which have recovered from natural disasters and devastating wars, show that the path from war to lasting peace and order is possible if the nation is united and recovery plans are designed with the best global practices in mind. The countries of East Asia, with their complex history and complex present, have already paved this way.

Through each page of the book, you will learn how these states were revived and became important participants in the world economic system. This experience is worthy of attention and study. They succeeded, and we will succeed too.

Serhiy Korsunskyi is an experienced diplomat who has worked in various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, including ambassador to Japan and Turkey.