The lives of Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh and the Indonesian leader Sukarno reflect the nationalist movements in those former colonies of Western powers.
Chinese writer Lu Xan and Japanese right-wing philosopher Kita Ikki are profiled as intellectuals who sought to resolve the conflict between the national character and international standing of their homelands.
This program examines the utter transformation of the pacific Basin region in the wake of World War II. The expanding- and often contentious- American and Japanese relationship included the ambiguous roles of conqueror and conquered.
The political, historical, and cultural underpinnings of Japan's post-war economic miracle are considered, both in the wealth it brought to the Pacific Basin and in its creation of a new Asian model of capitalism.
