Sick man of Asia

The phrase "sick man of Asia" or "sick man of East Asia" originally referred to China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it was riven by internal divisions and forced by the great powers into a series of Unequal Treaties, culminating in the Japanese invasion of China during World War II. The phrase was intended as a parallel to "sick man of Europe", referring to the weakening Ottoman Empire during the same period.[1]

Modern usages

Since the late 20th century, the phrase has been applied to a range of Asian nations, including Japan,[2] the Russian Far East[3]

References

  1. ^ Scott, David (2008). China and the international system, 1840-1949: power, presence, and perceptions in a century of humiliation. State University of New York Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0791476277. 
  2. ^ Auslin, Michael (April 2009). "The Sick Man of Asia". Foreign Policy. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4794. 
  3. ^ "The sick man of asia: Russia's endangered Far East". The National Interest. Fall, 2003.