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The future is Asian
2019 Michael Hintze Lecture
The world has gotten used to hearing 'America First', but is it ready for 'Asia First'? Leading global strategy adviser and international bestselling author Parag Khanna makes a case for why we need to start looking at the world, and future, from the Asian point of view.
In the 19th century, the world was Europeanised. In the 20th century, it was Americanised. Now, in the 21st century, the world is being irreversibly Asianised, according to Dr Parag Khanna.
The 'Asian Century' is far greater than just China. A new multi-civilizational order spanning Saudi Arabia to Japan, and Russia to Australia is taking shape—linking five billion people through trade, finance and infrastructure networks. China has taken a lead in building the new Silk Roads across Asia, but it will not lead alone. India and Southeast Asia are coming into their own as economic and strategic hubs; while from Iran to Indonesia, societies are teeming with ambitious and entrepreneurial youth, and privatisation is unlocking a new wave of growth from Saudi Arabia to Vietnam.
What happens when Asia no longer just produces for the West but the West produces for Asia? And when Asians don’t aspire to live like the West but rather Western societies could look to the Asian model of stability and far-sighted leadership? In this event Dr Khanna will share key insights, drawing from his newest book, The Future is Asian.
This event was held on Tuesday 5 November, 2019 at the University of Sydneya and co-presented with the Centre for International Security Studies.
The speakers
Parag is a leading global strategy advisor, world traveler, and best-selling author. He is Founder and Managing Partner of FutureMap, a data and scenario based strategic advisory firm. In 2008, Parag was named one of Esquire’s '75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century'.
Parag has been an adviser to the US National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2030 program. From 2013-18 he was a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He has also held roles as an adviser to United States Special Operations Forces; Fellow at the Brookings Institution; and the World Economic Forum in Geneva.
Parag's newest book is The Future is Asian: Commerce, Conflict & Culture in the 21st Century (2019). He is author of a trilogy of books on the future of world order, and also authored Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State (2017) and co-authored Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012).
Siobhán is the host of Another World on Eastside Radio 89.7FM. She has a Bachelor of International Studies and Master of International Affairs: Peace and Conflict Studies. In 2016, Siobhán also completed an Advanced Diploma in Radio at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in Sydney. She has also completed an internship at the ABC Central Victoria in Bendigo.
More to think about...
- TED Talk: Is war between China and the US inevitable? (2018)
- Article: Parag Khanna's 'The Future is Asian' on Australia's Asianising society (Australian Financial Review, 2019)
- Article: China's Unpeaceful Rise (Current History, 2006)