Criticism and bibliography. REVIEWS

Moscow: Gumanitarii Publ., 2001, 199 p.

(c) 2002

The reviewed collection of articles is devoted to the analysis of the most urgent and important problems of political, economic and ideological development of Indochina countries. The authors include specialists from the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Kursk State Pedagogical Institute. According to the idea of responsible editors N. N. Bektimirova and V. A. Dolnikova, this publication is a continuation of the collection "Indochina" prepared by them in 1999.: The 90s. Politics and Economics", a review of which was published in the journal " Vostok (Oriens) "(2000. N 6. pp. 178-183). A number of problems considered by the authors were tested in lecture courses and discussed at various scientific, including international conferences.

Some of the articles contained in the collection are country studies, while others relate to general regional problems.

V. V. Boitsov's article "The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): the Political Component and its Evolution" is interesting in terms of considering regional issues.It is devoted to the processes related to the activities of ASEAN in its expanded composition, which unites almost all countries of the region, regardless of their socio-economic structure and historically formed political priorities. The author convincingly shows that

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the admission of new countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) to this regional association has qualitatively changed the nature of its activities, expanded the possibilities of its impact on the processes taking place in all the countries of Indochina that have joined it, created real opportunities for expanding intraregional cooperation, and accelerated the modernization of the economy in the more developed countries - " veterans of the Association", as well as in its new members that are in the initial stages of public modernization. The author concludes that in its new composition, ASEAN is becoming an important integrating force, not only having a significant impact on the development of its member countries, but also playing a significant role in the world community. The article contains generalizing material concerning, among other things, the current stage of the evolution of Indochina countries, their foreign-political and economic orientation. It reveals current trends in the development of international cooperation in the sub-region, which have not yet been reflected in either the Russian or foreign scientific literature, and their analysis can be used for a deeper study of individual countries, as well as forecasting the further development of the region.

N. G. Rogozhina, author of the article " The Countries of Indochina: environment and development", quite rightly argues that the worsening environmental situation in the countries of Indochina has a destructive impact on the development of the economy and the living conditions of the population in the subregion. As in other countries of the world, this is the result of acute contradictions between the development of society and the state of the environment in the context of modernization and restructuring of the economy in the direction of intensive industrial development, while maintaining certain elements of economic and technical backwardness. The article provides extensive factual material that allows the author to give a comparative analysis of the environmental situation developing both in individual countries and in the region as a whole.

Although the collection is mainly devoted to contemporary issues of Indochina, all the articles presented here are characterized by a deep historical approach to the study of the realities of the modern world. In this regard, it seems quite logical to allocate a special section "White spots of history"in it. I. N. Selivanov's article "Formation of French policy towards the Indochina States after the 1954 Geneva Conference (before the Second Vietnam War)" examines the early stage of development of international relations in Indochina in the late 40s-50s of the XX century. This period of the national liberation movement and its international aspects turned out to be relatively poorly studied by Russian scientists. Meanwhile, the events of that time significantly influenced the alignment of political forces in Southeast Asia in the following years.

All the country studies contained in the collection are devoted to the most important contemporary problems of Indochina development, which have not yet received sufficient coverage in Russian historiography.

The articles by V. A. Dolnikova and young Orientalists A.V. Kolosova and E. I. Shustrov "Social shifts and political changes in Thailand (social structure and political evolution) "and" New trends in the political development of Thailand " are based on a thorough study of the evolution of the social structure and social composition of the population of Thailand, identifying complex and highly contradictory trends in political development countries that reflect the impact of both modern and traditional factors on the transformation of society. The authors ' conclusions about the irreversibility of the positive changes in the life of Thai society that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, and the gradual liberalization of the historically established political system, which led to the departure from military dictatorships and the development of representative institutions of power, are convincing. The authors seek to move away from the existing ideas about the social structure and political evolution of Thai society and give a new, more accurate description of the processes taking place in the country. At the same time, the authors refrain from categorical conclusions and draw attention to the need for further research of the problems under consideration.

N. N. Bektimirova's article "Political development of the Kingdom of Cambodia in 1993-2001" is very interesting. The author used a wide variety of sources, including a large number of publications in the Khmer-language press, which are practically introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. influence on the modern development of Cambodia. Objective description of the political events taking place in this country, vivid characteristics of the leaders who fought for power, and a competent analysis of the real situation

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It has been able to create a realistic picture of the political struggle that unfolded in the country in the late 1990s, as a result of the tragic events and huge human losses caused by the long rule of the Polpot regime. The positive role of the international community in resolving the Cambodian problem is very convincingly shown. The author's conclusions about the nature of the changes taking place in Cambodia, which are expressed primarily in the unification of the national territory, the achievement of a certain level of political stability and the restoration of legitimate forms of the political system, form the basis for further research on the possibilities and prospects of a new Cambodian statehood.

V. M. Mazyrin's article "Vietnam on the threshold of the XXI century: Main trends of economic and political development", devoted to the economic and political realities of modern Vietnam, is probably one of the first detailed studies of the period of renewal and reform in Vietnam, which began in the mid-1990s. The author shows positive changes in the country's economic development in the context of transition to market relations and modernization of the economy. He cites strong evidence that the acceleration of growth is accompanied by a marked increase in the human development index, which includes per capita income, poverty reduction,increased life expectancy, improved literacy and higher education. At the same time, V. M. Mazyrin also notes some negative trends in Vietnam's economic development, especially in its investment policy, spending of external borrowed funds, and industrialization strategy.

A special section is devoted to the development of Vietnam's foreign economic relations and enhancing its role in international organizations, as well as in the world economy as a whole. The author is right that reforms and the process of renewal mainly concern the national economic sphere and are reflected in a very measured and gradual manner in the political system. An analysis of the social content of the political reforms being implemented in Vietnam and personnel changes in the country's leadership allowed the author to conclude that certain liberal trends have emerged in the development of political institutions of power. This is evidenced primarily by the country's leadership's ongoing economic reform efforts, which contribute to deepening market transformations and gradually integrating Vietnam into the global economy.

The last two articles of the collection - O. V. Novakova " Religious life of Vietnamese society and the Catholic Church in the XXI century (problems of integration and adaptation)" and L. N. Morev "New trends in the development of the religious situation in Laos" - are devoted to the study of the basic religious values of Indochinese society and the impact on them of modern ideological trends that are associated with globalization and fundamental changes in the economic and social life of Vietnam and Laos.

In Vietnam, this is reflected in the revival of the activities of religious denominations and the strengthening of the influence of local folk beliefs, which are an integral part of the expression of national and spiritual values of society. The author's analysis of the Catholic community in the country is interesting: its size, structure, and specific mentality of the Christian population living here. In the modern period, the process of renewal and integration of religious activities, the author notes, is of a two-sided nature. The Vietnamese leadership, realizing the ineffectiveness of the confrontation with the Catholic Church, took a course towards the " Vietnamization of Catholicism." At the same time, senior Catholic clergy are trying to make the most of the opportunities offered by the new political environment to integrate the Catholic Church into the social fabric of Vietnamese society.

L. N. Morev analyzes the current state of the Lao Buddhist community (sangha) on the basis of materials collected by him during his stay in Laos. Direct communication with religious figures and officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs allowed him to give a detailed description of the Lao Sangha (number, age structure, level of education of its members). Unlike some Western experts who view the process of reviving the Sangha during the period of renewal and liberalization of political life in Laos as a" rebuddization " of society, L. N. Morev convincingly shows that the Buddhist community here strives to preserve its role in legitimizing the policy of renewal.

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In general, the reviewed collection, despite all the variety of topics, typological differences in the socio-economic and political development of the countries considered in it, summarizes the nature of changes taking place in Indochina in the context of changes that have now engulfed the region and the whole world. Each article deepens and expands our understanding of the complex and highly contradictory processes that arise from the interaction of traditional, historically formed institutions in society and powerful political and ideological influences that are a consequence of the processes of modernization and globalization, which largely determine the face of the modern world.

Given the serial nature of the publication undertaken by the authors, I would like to draw attention to its individual shortcomings, which can be eliminated in subsequent collections. First of all, the diversity of socio-political and ideological changes taking place in individual countries makes it advisable to include a more detailed introduction that reflects both the general trends that are characteristic of the current stage of development of the entire sub-region as a whole, and the most important features that are manifested in individual countries. In addition, in my opinion, the collection does not sufficiently follow the country principle of selecting articles. Thus, it does not contain a special study of the political history of modern Myanmar, although such a publication can obviously show the full extent of the diversity of political institutions emerging in various countries of Indochina. It would be desirable to take a more detailed look at the religious situation not only in Vietnam and Laos, but also in Thailand and Cambodia, including separate articles or expanding this issue somewhat in the relevant country studies.

However, some shortcomings do not detract from the scientific value of the peer-reviewed publication. Its publication is a great event both for specialists and for a wider range of readers interested in the development of Indochina countries. The materials published in the collection can be used as a textbook for students of the ISAA at Moscow State University, MGIMO and other educational institutions.

Sufficiently complete summaries in English make the contents of the collection accessible not only to Russian, but also to foreign readers.

The full text of the collection is available on the website of the ISAA at Moscow State University (http://www.iaas.msu.ru).

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