The Asian 21st Century

One of the great gifts of Western civilization is the philosophical wisdom bequeathed by its great thinkers. At a time when torture and Guantanamo still exist, the West should revive its commitment to using reason to understand and improve the world.

The great paradox of our time is that billionaire Trump is supported by the American working class, while middle-class Macron is reviled by the bottom half of French society. One explanation for this great paradox is that modern liberal society overemphasizes individual liberties at the expense of equality and the material livelihoods of its people.

Americans are proud of their democratic political system. But the facts show that America has increasingly come to resemble a plutocracyPlutocracy, where society is governed “of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%”.

The first step in solving a problem is to admit it exists. If the US is to escape plutocracyPlutocracy, it must first ask itself painful questions about the pervasive influence of wealth in its politics.

Philosophical concepts can help us to understand key historical moments. The storming of Capital Hill in America and the Covid-19Covid-19 death rates in the West highlight a different balance between “rights” and “responsibilities” when compared to Eastern societies.

Even though WashingtonWashington now agrees that the policies of the Trump Administration were a failure, a consensus has emerged that Trump was right to confront ChinaChina. But after four years of worsening US-China relations under the Trump Administration, the Biden administration needs to seriously rethink Washington’sWashington approach to Beijing.

With the United StatesUnited States, The riven by the Trump administration’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic and the George FloydGeorge Floyd protests, ChinaChina is now perceived as the more competent country in the world.

The zeitgeist of the world is infused by the character of the US leader. Biden will bring back the civility and generosity that the American spirit is associated with.

The decisions facing President Biden will be complex and multifaceted, but if he acts shrewdly, the US-China relationship can still lead to a more stable global environment. How can the world navigate the US-China relationship, and what should Biden learn from the rest of the world?

The return of Asia to the center stage of world history can be explained in part by its absorbing of the wisdom and ideas of Western civilization. But to stem the rising distrust between East and West, the West must now learn some critical lessons from China’s Asian neighbors on how to manage the rise of ChinaChina.

TheWashington US must learn tact and discipline in the style of Churchill and Kissinger to weather the Covid-19Covid-19 storm and come out of this crisis on the right side of history.

The recent pandemic has revealed the strengths of Asian societies and the weaknesses of Western societies. The West’s incompetent response to the pandemic will hasten the power shift to the East and herald the dawn of the Asian Century.

Many expected ASEANAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to falter under the strain of rising geopolitical tensions. But as its leadership on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership shows, ASEANAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has quietly managed to deliver peace and economic growth to Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia, helping to uphold a global, multilateral trading order.

Since the end of the Cold WarCold War, NATO has turned from a stabilizing force to a destabilizing force. The Pacific, which has managed to maintain a degree of peace, has no need for the destructive militaristic culture of the Atlantic alliance.

Work ethic, social consciousness, and belief in institutions are key elements of East Asia’sEast Asia “edge”. This edge was strikingly illustrated during the Covid-19Covid-19 pandemic when East Asian countries responded far better to the virus than its Western counterparts.

The growing US-China geopolitical contest makes IndiaIndia well placed to provide a leading ethical voice on the international stage.

As the Asian Century draws near, IndiaIndia faces three choices for how it can navigate geopolitically turbulent times. It can align closely with the US and the Quad, integrate itself into an Asian ecosystem of trade and peace, or become an independent pole in new multilateral world order.

If India can be as successful domestically as Indians are internationally, it can fulfill its potential to become a leading global superpower.

The country with the biggest gap between its potential and its performance is India. All India has to do is to learn from its Southeast Asian and Chinese neighbors and open itself up to economic competition.

When the West had its “End of History” moment at the end of the Cold WarCold War, it failed to recognize the return of Asia to the center stage of world history. Now, rather than blaming the rise of ChinaChina for the myriad of problems it faces, the West should rethink its strategy for dealing with Asia.

An isolated MyanmarMyanmar and divided ASEANAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are not good for Beijing. The wisest thing Joe BidenJoe Biden can do is show that American diplomacy can once again succeed in Asia.

A strong, self-confident America is needed to resume its leadership role. Asia has a role to play—if the US is prepared to listen.

ChinaChina today is the superpower with the greatest “spiritual vitalitySpiritual vitality”. While many in the United StatesUnited States, The see this as a threat to its primacy, the United States should instead work with ChinaChina to better the lives of its people.

Western concerns about the rise of ChinaChina are not just the result of cool, hard-headed analysis. As history tells us, they may also come from a subconscious, emotional fear of a non-Caucasian civilization.

China’sChina emergence as a great power has prompted many fears that it will start to become aggressive and militaristic. But while European powers have acted this way historically, China’s own long history tells us that it wields power in a very different manner.

The peaceful reemergence of China is one of the greatest success stories of contemporary human history.

Instead of trying to contain and prevent the risk of China, which is on track to becoming the world’s largest economic power, the US should develop a strategy for engaging with China to respond to global challenges.

The Trump Administration overestimates the threat that China poses to American livelihoods and values. Yet, in launching a geopolitical contest with China without first working out a comprehensive long-term strategy, it also underestimates the popularity and resilience that the Chinese Communist PartyChinese Communist Party (CCP), The is demonstrating.

While the protests in Hong Kong are widely seen as a fight for democracy and freedom, they must also be understood in the context of the growing US-China geopolitical contest.

Even though China was the first country to have to deal with the outbreak of Covid-19Covid-19, its handling of the virus has actually served to enhance China’s position vis-a-vis traditional powers like the US and Western EuropeEurope.

As the US-China geopolitical contest gains momentum, the US has to ask itself if it can truly improve the lives of the people in the 191 remaining countries around the world.

The biggest problem with the “Quad” is that the big strategic game in Asia isn’t military but economic. The countries that make up the Quad are far too diverse in their economic interests and historical vulnerabilities to make it a tenable long-term alliance.

The main preoccupation for the Biden Administration will be to solve its domestic issues and prevent the future reelection of Donald Trump. While this may mean that Biden has to appear tough on China, he should quietly work with allies in Asia to cooperate with China.

If Biden were to follow the geopolitical wisdom of George Kennan, he would reverse the Trump Administration’s disastrous trade war with China, which has only served to harm the American people and strengthen the Chinese Communist Party.

The 21st century will see the return of China to the centre stage of world history. The time has come for the West to do a complete reboot and reconsider all its fundamental premises on China.

While we must recognize the incredible contributions the West has made to global institutions, especially the United States, the increased influence of Asian nations, in particular China, gives them the opportunity to inherit and reform classic institutions of the current world order for a new era.

The central paradox of our times is that even though globalization has dramatically improved the human condition over the past few decades, many are now predicting its imminent demise. How did this happen? Because of three key strategic mistakes made by the West in its management of globalization.

The international order has lagged dangerously behind shifting global power dynamics. If leaders do not start addressing the contradictions soon, the most likely result is a crisis—or even conflict—and even more dangerous contradictions.

The revival of diplomacy, based on deploying the art of persuasion, will help to create a more harmonious and cooperative global community. After years of the United StatesUnited States, The, especially under Donald TrumpDonald Trump, retreating from multilateralism, it will require active reasoning, listening, and adjusting for Western powers.

As the UNUnited Nations (UN) commemorates its 75th anniversary, few today see it as a beacon of hope. To revive the fortunes of the UN, greater financial support and more inclusive reforms to the General Assembly and the Security Council will make it truly indispensable to solving the common challenges facing humanity today.

The Covid-19Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the importance of multilateral institutions like the WHOWorld Health Organization (WHO) to manage global challenges. Rather than weakening them, as has been done for the past 50 years, it should be rejuvenated through a coordinated effort by all nations.

Multilateral diplomacy has been central to the world order since World War IIWorld War II. Understanding how and why institutions and systems were established is essential to understanding where we have been and how to move forward in an increasingly shrinking world.

The coronavirus pandemic has underlined the importance of supporting multilateral organizations like the World Health Organisation, rather than progressively weakening them.