Historical Turning Point: The Status and Role of the Third World in the 21st Century

Author: Tan Shizhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: The second creative aspect of this research topic is that the research team revised and developed Mao Zedong's "Three World Theory" based on changes in the international situation, proposing the view that "the United States is the first world, developed countries such as Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, and Russia are the second world, and the vast number of developing countries are the third world. By the mid-21st century, a 'triangular competition' will form among them, and stability and development in world politics and economics will be achieved through mutual dependence and competition. The third innovative aspect of this research topic is that the research team, based on the 'catch-up theory' and the 'law of uneven development,' focused more on emerging industrialized developing countries in the study of the status and role of the third world in the 21st century. It pointed out that the interests of emerging industrialized developing countries in the 21st century are not only a major event in the world economic development of the 21st century but also the source and main force for the improvement of the third world's status and role in the world. The research team has also achieved many innovative research results in the study, which are scattered throughout the chapters and will not be listed one by one here. This research topic was applied for as a major project of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences under the name of the "Research Center for the Third World of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences."