From Africa for raw materials, the Middle East for fossil fuels and the South China Sea for strategic posturing; China's quest for resources has definitely been a global endeavor. It is impossible to fully cover China's larger-than-life ambitions for the 21st Century in a blog spanning only a few months, but I believe our brief overview of the multiple regions that China has incorporated into their foreign policy clearly illustrates the vast reach the Middle Kingdom has gained in these past few decades. Over the course of this blog we have emphasized not only the regions ventured, but also the tactics China has employed to gain leverage in many areas of the world, especially those considered to hostile for the West to invest in. In addition to that, the blog frequently mentions how these moves effect the worlds current superpower, the US.
To tackle this daunting task, the writers of this blog pulled from various sources, all with multiple view points. We made sure to gather different perspectives, most polarized between praise and criticism, with some just standing to the side, too unsure of the outcome to make a call whether China's actions are prudent or ill-advised. We had chosen different regions for the each week, then came together to discuss which topic would be the most relevant and informational to blog about. This allowed the group to not get tunneled into one facet of China, being that we all came from different academic backgrounds and held distinct interests.
One of the big things this project emphasized to me is how dynamic and fluid the international community is. Also the importance of the long game, and how many of the steps taken now by China may drastically change the world I live in for decades to come. I was also able to pull many lessons from working in a group to accomplish this large task, the biggest being the communication of clear objectives and expectations. We were able to create our vision of the finished product early, allowing us to create a more cohesive single project, even with multiple authors. Overall, this blog was an great assignment, and I highly enjoyed working with my group-mates.
"We made sure to gather different perspectives, most polarized between praise and criticism, with some just standing to the side, too unsure of the outcome to make a call whether China's actions are prudent or ill-advised. "
ReplyDeleteExactly!!!
"We made sure to gather different perspectives, most polarized between praise and criticism, with some just standing to the side, too unsure of the outcome to make a call whether China's actions are prudent or ill-advised. "
ReplyDeleteExactly!!!