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“China’s Role in the 21st Century” will be the topic when Louisiana Tech professor emeritus of history Kenneth W. Rea makes the next presentation in Tech’s 2013 International Affairs Lecture Series, April 30 at 4 p.m. in Wyly Auditorium.

This is the second in a series of three lectures where Tech historians attempt to answer the question “Will the 21st century be the Asian Century?” 

The recent dramatic rise of Asian economies opens the possibility that in the 21st century the United States will no longer enjoy the same dominant position in world affairs that it had in the 20th Century, said series organizer Andrew C. McKevitt, an assistant professor of history.

McKevitt said a major focus of Rea’s lecture is China’s importance as the country with the largest population in the world. He said another central point of the lecture is that in the near future China’s rapidly growing economy is projected to surpass that of the United States. China observers like Rea agree that this historic change can be expected to bring with it not only new economic challenges, but also political, diplomatic and military ones as well. 

A specialist in Chinese history and U.S.-East Asian relations, Rea received his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado and has published numerous books and scholarly articles in the field.  Before his recent retirement, he taught at Louisiana Tech for 44 years and he also served as vice president for academic affairs from 1987 to 2012.

The series of programs on Asia will conclude on Wednesday, May 8, at 4 p.m. in room 105, George T. Madison Hall, with a presentation by assistant professor of history A. Nazir Atassi on “Making a Place for West Asia in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective on the Syrian Crisis.”

The Louisiana Tech University International Affairs Lecture Series is sponsored by the Department of History, the American Foreign Policy Center and Lambda-Rho Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society.  All events are free and open to the public. Written by Reggie Owens – regowens@latech.edu