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The Future Is Asian: Commerce, Conflict, and Culture in the 21st Century by [Parag Khanna]

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The Future Is Asian: Commerce, Conflict, and Culture in the 21st Century Kindle Edition

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In the 19th century, the world was Europeanized. In the 20th century, it was Americanized. Now, in the 21st century, the world is being Asianized.

The “Asian Century” is even bigger than you think. Far greater than just China, the new Asian system taking shape is a multi-civilizational order spanning Saudi Arabia to Japan, Russia to Australia, Turkey to Indonesia—linking five billion people through trade, finance, infrastructure, and diplomatic networks that together represent 40 percent of global GDP. China has taken a lead in building the new Silk Roads across Asia, but it will not lead it alone. Rather, Asia is rapidly returning to the centuries-old patterns of commerce, conflict, and cultural exchange that thrived long before European colonialism and American dominance. Asians will determine their own future—and as they collectively assert their interests around the world, they will determine ours as well.

There is no more important region of the world for us to better understand than Asia – and thus we cannot afford to keep getting Asia so wrong. Asia’s complexity has led to common misdiagnoses: Western thinking on Asia conflates the entire region with China, predicts imminent World War III around every corner, and regularly forecasts debt-driven collapse for the region’s major economies. But in reality, the region is experiencing a confident new wave of growth led by younger societies from India to the Philippines, nationalist leaders have put aside territorial disputes in favor of integration, and today’s infrastructure investments are the platform for the next generation of digital innovation.

If the nineteenth century featured the Europeanization of the world, and the twentieth century its Americanization, then the twenty-first century is the time of Asianization. From investment portfolios and trade wars to Hollywood movies and university admissions, no aspect of life is immune from Asianization. With America’s tech sector dependent on Asian talent and politicians praising Asia’s glittering cities and efficient governments, Asia is permanently in our nation’s consciousness. We know this will be the Asian century. Now we finally have an accurate picture of what it will look like.

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449 pages
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English
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Simon & Schuster
Publication date

February 5, 2019
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In an authoritative book which may well become a standard reference . . . Parag Khanna casts the net wider to deliver a compelling argument that Asia — rather than merely China — is the current and future lodestar for the global economy. Of Asia’s nearly 5bn people, 3.5bn are not Chinese."—James Kynge, Financial Times

"[Asia] is becoming increasingly blended into one political, cultural and economic unit poised to overtake a waning West. . . . The Future Is Asian offers a valuable and thoroughly researched analysis of one course that the region may take." —The Wall Street Journal

"A serious and well-documented attempt to make the case that the American century is giving way to a century in which economic and political power is increasingly centred on Asia. Khanna is keen to challenge the Sino-centric view of Asia, insisting on the importance of other countries and regions." —Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

"A comprehensive worldview from an Asian perspective . . . Khanna enlists his considerable global experience and education to elegantly lay out the vast range and enormous potential of what he calls the Asian system of moving beyond geography and embracing alliances, institutions, infrastructure, trade, investment, culture and other patterns. . . . Khanna begins with a dazzling distillation of the history of the world from an Asian perspective. . . . Thorough and clear, offering abundant food for thought."—Kirkus Reviews

"Asia is vast, bustling and rapidly becoming an integrated, world-dominating region, according to this sprawling geo-economic study. . . . Khanna’s wealth of statistics, deep knowledge, and lucid prose make for a stimulating overview of the rising colossus."—Publishers Weekly

"An upbeat examination of a changing 'Greater Asia' . . . Eurasia’s future is likely to be more ductile than fixed and hegemonic. In this new world order, actions still lead to reactions." —The Economist

“Understanding the global economy in this century means above all understanding that it is likely to be an Asian Century. Parag Khanna’s important book provides a rich perspective going well beyond the economic statistics. Everyone concerned with the future of the global economy should consider its arguments.”—Lawrence H. Summers, Former Secretary of the Treasury, Former Director of the National Economic Council, and Harvard President Emeritus.

"Think Crazy Rich Asians with infographics . . . With in-depth research, Khanna limns the 21st-century pivot toward Asia. . . . An erudite account of stunning economic ascendancy." —Japan Times

“Khanna illuminates the global tectonic shift to Asia—but argues provocatively that a rising China will be entangled in a multi-polar region.”—Graham T. Allison, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and author of Destined for War

“A foreign policy whiz kid.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Parag Khanna’s magisterial work weaves a powerful story where business, technology, globalization and geopolitics are intertwined. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the role of Asia in shaping the future of the world.”—Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of Infosys, Founding Chairman of Aadhaar (UIDAI)

“The 21st century is the century of Asia. I suggest you read this book, even if you’re already aware!”—Jim Rogers, International Investor and author of Street Smarts: Adventures on the Road and in the Markets

"In The Future is Asian, Parag Khanna paints a vibrant and multi-faceted picture of the economic, political and cultural dynamics shaping Asia and the world more broadly. This is a thought-provoking work that deserves to be read by practitioners, scholars and general readers alike."—The Hon. Kevin Rudd, 26th Prime Minister of Australia and President, Asia Society Policy Institute

"For most of recorded history, Asia was the economic, technological and cultural centre of the world. From that perspective, the last 500 years of Western dominance almost appear an aberration. This book imagines what reprising the lead role would look like for Asia, and what it means for the rest of the world. An indispensable book for the 'Asian century'."—Tony Fernandes, Founder and CEO, Air Asia

"Like it or not, the world's economic, political, and cultural power is shifting (back) to Asia. Parag Khanna brilliantly explains the whys and hows and extrapolates future trends. This book should be read by policy-makers, academics, and anybody else who wants to make sense of our new world." —Daniel A. Bell, Dean, School of Political Science and Public Administration, Shandong University

"As China rises steadily to become the largest economy in the world, other Asian powers will also emerge. India is an equally dynamic civilisation. Southeast Asia, led by ASEAN, will be a major growth center. To understand and deal with a new multipolar Asia, there could be no better guide for China than this book. A must read!" —Kishore Mahbubani, founding dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

About the Author

Parag Khanna is the founder and managing partner of FutureMap, a global strategic advisory firm that specializes in data-driven scenarios and visualizations. He is the internationally bestselling author of seven books including The Second World, Connectography, and The Future Is Asian. Parag was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He has traveled to more than 150 countries.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07GNVMDNZ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (February 5, 2019)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 5, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 9168 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 449 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #332,098 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #7 in History of Singapore
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- #28 in Comparative Economics (Kindle Store)

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Top reviews from the United States

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Gary Moreau, Author

The birthplace of the multiculturalism that is befuddling the West

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2019

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A dyed-in-the-wool white American male, I moved to China in 2007 for one very simple reason—I desperately needed a job. And because I was relatively old and had spent my career in the out-of-fashion world of smoke stacks and loud machines, no company in the US would touch me.

I have thrived in China, where there is still respect for factories (My factory has a smokestack but exports almost nothing to the US.) and even more respect for old executives like me. They don’t consider us unadaptable or out of touch here; they think of us as richly experienced. But I have learned even more while working here and one of the lessons I’ve learned is just how little the average American knows about China, or Asia in general. And given the current political climate that strikes me as even more true today than it was in 2007.

Parag Khanna is trying to change that. Sadly, however, he won’t succeed, for the simple reason that Westerners don’t really want to know the real Asia in my experience. They have their opinions and they’re stickin’ to ‘em. And the book is just too long and too full of actual facts, which is the only reason I didn’t rate it a six. There has to be balance in life.

The basic premise of the book is that while we’re all fixated on China, there is no China per se. The concept of sovereign land entities with fixed borders that can be drawn on a map is of European origin and was introduced to Asia through colonization. For thousands of years before that Asia had, to use a word I apparently didn’t use enough in my US job interviews, collaborated to a level few Western companies, despite the hype, have actually achieved. Boundaries were fluid and even disputing armies didn’t stand in the way of cultural and economic pragmatism and cooperation.

Speaking at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations this past week, where Khanna also spoke, China’s President Xi Jinping said, “Being one of the earliest human settlements and a major birthplace of human civilization, Asia takes up one third of the total land on Earth, has two thirds of the global population, and consists of 47 countries and more than 1,000 ethnic groups.” And, he went on, “We should allow all civilizations of the world to fully bloom” and stressed the need to ensure openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning among civilizations, according to China Daily. (Contrast that with anything you’ve heard out of Washington in recent years.)

“The Future is Asian” for the simple reason that it is returning to its pre-colonial roots of tolerance and collectivism. China itself has 56 distinct ethnic groups, the rights of which are explicitly protected in the Chinese constitution. Every major religion in the world exists here and is tolerated, so long as the state perceives that the sovereignty of the Party and social stability is not threatened. (Yes, you can make the case that this is authoritarian but I can assure you that the Chinese government is far less authoritarian in total than the US government today. Barring threats to the state, China is one of the freest countries in the world.)

The point of Khanna’s book is that we live for the first time in a long time in a multi-cultural world, whether we are comfortable with that or not. And the West is struggling to adjust. Really struggling. Asia, however, has been here before and is re-adapting at lightning speed. And this book, more than anything else, is an encyclopedia of how and why.

As squeamish as this book will make any white Westerner feel, I believe that Khanna makes his point with unassailable research and open-minded perspective. The Belt and Road Initiative, which has received some very misinformed media coverage in the West, is but one example of the cross-border and cross-cultural economic investment and cooperation that is unfolding here. Asia is, in fact, far down the path to global economic domination. And it will depend not a twit on how President Trump’s trade war turns out or how illiberal and populist Europe becomes in terms of immigration and multi-culturalism.

If not a splendid book, as it is a bit of a slog to actually read, it is one of the most important books written in years. I do highly recommend it for the simple reason that it will open your eyes to the world we now live in and which most of us can make little sense of.

The research is impeccable and the writing is certainly professional, if not poetic. Asia is rising. But Asia is not China. Khanna notes: “Rather, with more neighbors than any other country, it [China] is deeply embedded in the Asian economic system in mutually dependent and beneficial ways. The future is Asian—even for China.” Japan, too, is part of the equation. As is Australia. Even Iran and Turkey. It’s a process that is accelerating and irreversible.

I’ll close with the reason I know that Khanna is right. I am a white American of French descent. I have round eyes and a big nose. And to the Chinese I am and always will be a foreigner. It matters little that I have lived here a long time or can speak a little Mandarin. A foreigner I will always be.

But the characterization is in no way pejorative. It is simply what I am. I sometimes make them laugh. But I never make them angry or arrogant. And they never assume that I am in any way less human than they are. I am just a foreigner. That fact says nothing about my character or my humanity.

And that, ultimately, is the perspective that will conquer the multi-cultural world. And that is the perspective that is, as Khanna so completely and convincingly explains, the foundation of Asia.

Please read it.

87 people found this helpful

Helpful

K. Dekleva

An excellent overview of the trends shaping Asia and the West in the 21st century

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

Dr. Khanna has written an excellent book, which deliberately takes Western readers out of their comfort zone, challenging many assumptions and yet offering a view of a new, multi-polar, Asian- centric world. A key chapter - an homage to Lee Kwan Yew - highlights the critical importance of technocratic meritocracy, and makes a key point, that governance and outcomes are the coin of the realm in Asian politics. Any understanding of today’s key Asian leaders - Xi, Abe, Moon, Kim, Modi, Jokowi, and others - need take this point about leadership into account. Overall, this is a fine and very worthy book, and Dr. Khanna’s views will be widely shared and conjure forth ample discussion.

33 people found this helpful

Helpful

Nancy or Rich

Further divides West and Non-West

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019

The Future is Asian by Parag Khanna – 2 Stars
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781501196263

This book provides a lot of incentive to think beyond the box; the box in this case is what is presented. Who’s the audience? This is a dump of everything learned by everybody imaginable without clearly separating fact from findings or observations. It is obvious that much research has gone into this to collect and report all the information. A PhD in Asian History may like the beginning chapter to refresh him/her with details of an era he desired; you get the author’s attempt to list all the “Asian” events from the beginning of time. I, on the other hand, was anticipating only something discussing how recent events and actions throughout Asia affect the goal of globalization. Instead, I was presented with a case study, somewhat biased, pitting the Western blunders vs. Non-Western successes. I wanted to know what plans the Asian countries have already initiated and are planning to employ to enhance globalized, worldwide relationships. This would have given me insight to private business changes, my investments, and America’s efforts to synchronize relationships towards a successful global integration.

A consultant needs to analyze ALL the findings relevant to predefined hypotheses of conclusions. Many of the findings in this book are bias toward Asian thinking which distorts the formulation of facts needed by the individual seeking global unity. Conclusions are sketchy against a synchronized global plan.

Despite the struggle I had to get through this book, it did make me think ALOT. The knowledge before reading this book was already adequate to understand the issues hindering the efforts of globalization. The last thing I needed was that the West is still trying to colonize the world while the non-west is opening it up (but, not to the West) with THEIR only objectives in mind.

Sorry, I’m not impressed with the pain-staking effort that apparently went into the research of this book when the message is ambiguous and conflicting at times. Way too many words and pages to get what should be a message to the West to pay ample attention to the world, seek ideas coming from the non-West, and together formulate plans for successful globalization. I certainly wasn’t the audience in mind for this book.

Reviewer: Rich

66 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Phil

Essential reading for leaders and people interested in making the world a better place for us all.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

A fascinating summary of history that leads to insightful observations about how our shared world will probably develop. The West must work with Asia to make our planet a better place and this book highlights why. However much some Western leaders would like to turn back the clock on China and Asia generally, this will not happen. Indeed, we all need to increase understanding and cooperation to make the world a better place for us all.

One person found this helpful

Kindle Customer

The Future is......ASIA

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

If the author is only 50% right the West and the Western Imperial system is done for.....China will with most of the worlds non western countries change the world order and new rules..prepare for world war 111..coming ready or not

4 people found this helpful

GIEL

The book to read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a fascinating book, well documented and it will surprise people in the West. Asia is a large continent with a very large and intelligent population. Numerically and intellectually it will make Europe and the US soon feel somewhat less important.

One person found this helpful

Jan

What Asia was, is and will be in future

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

A strongly Asian-centric view of Asia, based on historical lore, current political affairs, economic trends and other.

Definitely worthwile if somebody wants to understand what is happening to Asia and what future might bring for this continent and the rest of the world.

Amazon Customer

New World Order

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2019

Verified Purchase

The economic perspective of the world viewed from Singapore.