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KISHORE MAHBUBANI has been hailed as "an Asian Toynbee, preoccupied with the rise and fall of civilizations" (The Economist), a "Max Weber of the new 'Confucian ethic'" (Washington Post), and "a prototype twenty-first century leader" (Time). A must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in contemporary Asia, this collection of provocative essays is certain to challenge the way you think.
Asia's societies were more culturally and economically advanced than Europe's at the end of the first millennium. And yet by the nineteenth century the West had leaped so far ahead that even some Asians themselves harbored images of inferiority.
Mahbubani's analysis of the past and predictions for the future amount to a wake-up call to Asians and Westerners alike. In diverse pieces such as "The Ten Commandments for Developing Countries" and "The Dangers of Decadence: What the Rest Can Teach the West," he asserts that Westerners are largely unaware of their condescending attitudes and practices toward the East and maintain that outdated worldview at their own peril - Asia's economies are poised to surpass those of Europe and North America within the next fifty years. No one who reads these iconoclastic, unabashed arguments will ever regard East-West relations in the same light.
“If you are looking for insight into how others perceive us—and the events of September 11 underscore that need—then I know of no better guide than Kishore Mahbubani. His collection of lively essays will both inform and challenge your thinking.”
-- Paul Volcker

“This book is a collection of absolutely first-rate essays, elegantly written. . . . Mahbubani has an instinct for the jugular when it comes to identifying a critical issue and setting forth a powerful thesis concerning it.”
-- Samuel P. Huntington
Author of The Clash of Civilizations

“Interesting, provocative, and intellectually engaging.”
-- Henry Kissinger.
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This collection of essays provides Asian as well as non-Western perspectives on contemporary issues. They offer Western minds a glimpse of what thinking is like outside the Western mental box. Undoubtedly, the Western mental box, based on Western civilization, is huge. But it is still a finite box. Few Western minds are aware of the existence of non-Western perspectives. This collection of essays will therefore open Western minds to new mental vistas. The question in the title "Can Asians Think?" underlines much of what is found in this diverse collection of essays. For a start, the simple question "Can Asians Think?" has two questions rolled into it. To fellow Asians, the author asks: "Are you sure, my fellow Asians, that you can really think?" Hence, the lead essay asks Asians to ask themselves why, after centuries of backwardness, they have not caught up with Western societies. To Western minds, the author asks: "Are you sure, my friends from the West, that Asians cannot think for themselves?" This is the underlying theme of the essays listed in the "Asian values" section. They were written in the early 1990s when the West was in a triumphant mood. The spirit of the times was best captured in Francis Fukuyama's essay "The End of History" whose key theme was that all other societies of the world had no choice but to become replicas of Western liberal democratic societies. Few non-Westerners dared to challenge Western triumphalism then. Kishore Mahbubani was one of them. This is why his essays have struck a chord with many in the non-Western world, especially in Asia. Many Westerners also acknowledged the strengths of the intellectual challenge posed by the author. Hence, The Economist devoted a column to the author entitled "The Scourge of the West" on April 22nd, 1995 (copy attached). These essays also challenge conventional wisdom in many other areas. At a time when leading strategic thinkers were writing about the danger of new major power conflicts and tensions in the Asia-Pacific theatre, the author pointed out in several essays that the new Asia-Pacific presented opportunities as well as dangers. The author added a new vocabulary to the description of the region when he spoke about the potential of "Fusion of Civilizations" in the region, presenting an alternative vision to Samuel Huntington's Clash of Civilizations. Two other essays sharply challenge Western conventional wisdom. The essay on Pol Pot, written when he had already become a well-known twentieth century symbol of evil, pointed out the double standards of the West in dealing with dictators. The final essay in the volume, The Ten Commandments for Developing Countries in the Nineties, also sharply questions the development orthodoxy of the times. Given the simplicity and brevity of the Commandments, they have been translated into several languages. Although these essays were written in the 1990s, they remain fresh and engaging because they raise timeless questions about timeless issues. In its own way, the Western mind has become trapped in intellectual rigidities and orthodoxies. These essays open a window out of the Western mental box. This volume is therefore an essential item for Western bookshelves and libraries. Few contemporary books offer the ideas and perspectives provided by this slim volume. .
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More than half of the world's population lives in Asia and the Middle East-and is becoming more and more alienated from America Now a uniquely qualified Asian writer explains-provocatively-why.

After publishing articles in leading American journals over two decades, Kishore Mahbubani was described as"an Asian Toynbee, preoccupied with the rise and fall of civilizations" by The Economist. Trained in philosophy in North America and Asia, and well-experienced in realpolitik as a diplomat on the world stage, Mahbubani has unusual insight into America's ever more troubled relationship with the rest of the world.

In Beyond the Age of Innocence Mahbubani reveals to us the America that Asia and the rest of the world see. We are a country that has given hope to billions by creating a society where destiny is not determined at birth. After the Second World War, we created a global order which allowed many nations to flourish. But when the Cold War ended, America made a terrible mistake. We started behaving like a normal country, ignoring the plight of others, indifferent to the consequences of our decisions on others. America was imprudent in its policy towards two large masses of mankind: the Chinese and Muslim populations. Guantanamo damaged our moral authority, but Abu Ghraib, paradoxically, may have demonstrated the accountability of American institutions. Still, disillusionment with America has spread to all corners.

To allow any lasting gap between America and the world, Mahbubani argues, would be a colossal strategic mistake for America and a huge loss to the world. But there is still time for the US to change course; and in this thought-provoking, visionary book, Mahbubani shows us how..
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Word count: 1115..
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The author recounts the true story of his travels His adventures begin in Boston and end some five months later along The Great Wall of China. The journey sees him take in some of the world's most important landmarks in around eighty towns and cities over a staggering 40,000 mile journey. That's quite some adventure! Whether it's the Niagara Falls in North America, the Rainforest in Australia, or Tropical Islands in Asia, there is something for everyone in this epic journey spanning four of the world's six continents. Across oceans, deserts and distant lands, there is a story to tell, packed with adventure and experiences of a different kind. Come join me on this special journey, and may it encourage you to explore and discover the world on a similar journey of your own..
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