Adage of unity and division fits Asia

Several Asian scholars claim to be experts in geopolitics: the science of tapping into the synergy among nations. But in reality the profession in Asia is slave to concepts designed elsewhere. As a result, the conclusions of Asian geopolitics experts often serve the interests of non-Asian powers.

The continent is home to the oldest civilizations and was once the world's knowledge and inventive powerhouse. Yet today it accounts for less than 9 percent of the major patents and discoveries in the world. Until five centuries ago, the continent accounted for three-fourths of the world's total output. Yet today it has more than half a billion people living in abject poverty.

There is much talk these days about the "Asian century", but the truth is Asian countries are yet to tap even a fraction of the synergy had they coordinated their policies that would have united them like European Union (EU) members.