There is no reason to suppose that the region could not have found its own path to peace, prosperity, and democracy. Socially and economically, Asia now stands roughly where Europe was at the start of the twentieth century; and one can only hope that its democratic journey will be shorter and less violent.
当然，我们不可能知道没有西方帝国主义侵略，亚洲现在可以发展到什么程度。没有理由认为亚洲地区无法找到其自身的和平、繁荣和民主之路。不管在社会上还是在经济上，今天的亚洲和二十世纪初的欧洲十分相似；而亚洲的民主之旅只可能比西方更短、更少暴力。