The centre of gravity of the world economy will shift to Asia. This is what former ambassador Kishore Mahbubani talks about.
Monday, 27. March 2017, 18:30 – 20:00 h
At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOH-B-10
This lecture is held in cooperation with the Europa Institut Zürich.
A new era is dawning, marked by the decline of the dominance of the West and the natural return of Asia. The centre of gravity of the world economy will shift to Asia. Will the West continue to try to resist this trend? That would be disastrous. The West should share power with Asia by giving up its automatic leadership role in global institutions from the IMF to the World Bank and from the G7 to the UN Security Council. Is the West ready to share global leadership with Asia? And if so, are the Asians ready to take global leadership? And finally, if they are leading, where are they leading the world?
Kishore Mahbubani, born in 1948, is a renowned expert on geopolitical and economic issues and has a broad network in Asia and internationally. He began his career in 1971 as a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore. In the period up to 2004, he was posted to Cambodia, Malaysia, Washington D.C. and New York. He represented Singapore as Ambassador to the United Nations and as President of the UN Security Council in January 2001 and May 2002 respectively. From 1993 to 1998, Mahbubani was Permanent Secretary in the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He makes public appearances and publishes on geopolitical and economic issues. His latest book, The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World, was named one of the best books of 2013 by the Financial Times. He has been a member of the Boards of Directors of Zurich Insurance Group Ltd and Zurich Insurance Company Ltd since April 2015.