Kishore Mahbubani
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Kishore Mahbubani (born 24 October 1948) is a Singaporean diplomat and
geopolitical Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...
consultant who served as Singapore
Permanent Representative A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation. Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...
to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
between 1984 and 1989, and again between 1998 and 2004, and
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
between 2001 and 2002. After stepping down, he remained serving as a senior advisor at the National University of Singapore while engaging in a nine-month sabbatical at various universities, including
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
's
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, formerly known as the Ash Institute, was established in 2003 and is part of the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The Center’s mis ...
. He is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute. In 2019, Mahbubani was elected as a member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
. Between 2004 and 2017, he served as Dean of the
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) is an autonomous postgraduate school of the National University of Singapore (NUS), named after the late former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. History The Lee Kuan Yew School of ...
at the National University of Singapore.


Early life and education

Mahbubani was born in Singapore to a Sindhi-speaking
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
family who were displaced from Sindh province during the Partition of India. He attended Tanjong Katong Technical School and St. Andrew's School before he was awarded the
President's Scholar A President's Scholar is a recipient of the academic scholarship awarded by the Government of Singapore annually, to pursue undergraduate education at a university, usually abroad. The scholarship is considered to be the most prestigious public ...
ship in 1967 to study at the University of Singapore (now the National University of Singapore), where he graduated in 1971 with a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
with first class honours degree in philosophy. He subsequently went on to complete a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
degree in philosophy at Dalhousie University in 1976. Mahbubani was conferred an honorary
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from Dalhousie University in 1995.


Career


Public service

After his graduation in 1971, Mahbubani joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) as a foreign service officer. His earlier postings included Cambodia, Malaysia and the United States. From 1993 to 1998, he held the position of Permanent Secretary at MFA. Later, he served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
. In that role, he served as President of the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
in January 2001 and May 2002.


Academic career

Mahbubani's academic career began when he was appointed as the Dean of the
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) is an autonomous postgraduate school of the National University of Singapore (NUS), named after the late former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. History The Lee Kuan Yew School of ...
, National University of Singapore. He is also a Professor in the Practice of Public Policy. In addition, he was a fellow at the Center for International Affairs at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1991–92. He currently also serves on the board of the International Advisory Council at
Bocconi Bocconi University ( it, Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, ) is a private university in Milan, Italy. Bocconi provides education in the fields of economics, finance, law, management, political science, public administration and computer sci ...
.


Author

Mahbubani is best known outside Singapore for his books ''Can Asians Think?'', ''Beyond The Age of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust between America and the World'', and ''The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East''. His articles have appeared in newspapers such as '' Foreign Affairs'', '' Foreign Policy'', the ''
Washington Quarterly ''The Washington Quarterly'' (abbreviated as ''TWQ'') is a magazine of international affairs covering topics and issues concerning global security, diplomatic relations, and policy implications. Founded by prestigious think tank, Center for Strateg ...
'', ''
Survival Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
'', ''American Interest'', the ''
National Interest The national interest is a sovereign state's goals and ambitions (economic, military, cultural, or otherwise), taken to be the aim of government. Etymology The Italian phrase ''ragione degli stati'' was first used by Giovanni della Casa around ...
'', Time, ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
'', the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' and the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. His latest book, ''Has China Won?'', was published in 2020. In ''The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World'', Mahbubani describes how the world has seen more positive change in the past 30 years than the past 300 years. By prescribing pragmatic solutions for improving the global order – including a 7-7-7 formula that may finally break the logjam in the United Nations Security Council – Mahbubani maps a road away from the geopolitical contours of the nineteenth century. The book was reviewed, including in the ''Financial Times,'' the ''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' and the ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
''. ''The Great Convergence'' was selected as one of the ''Financial Times books of 2013 and longlisted for the 2014
Lionel Gelber Prize The Lionel Gelber Prize is a literary award for English non-fiction books on foreign policy. Founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber, the prize awards "the world’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deep ...
. Mahbubani also writes regularly for Singapore's ''
The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was establish ...
''. In the lead up to Singapore's 50th anniversary of independence, he began a series on "big ideas" that he hoped would help Singapore succeed in the following half-century.


Board memberships

Mahbubani continues to serve in boards and councils of several institutions in Singapore, Europe and North America, including the Yale President's Council on International Activities,
Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) is a non-profit educational organization of graduate schools of international affairs, with 40 members and 26 affiliates around the world. Starting as a network of Americ ...
,
Indian Prime Minister The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
's Global Advisory Council,
Bocconi University Bocconi University ( it, Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, ) is a private university in Milan, Italy. Bocconi provides education in the fields of economics, finance, law, management, political science, public administration and comput ...
's International Advisory Committee,
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
's Global Agenda Council on China, and
Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize The World Cities Summit is an international conference series on public governance and the sustainable development of cities. 2008 The first World Cities Summit, which took place in Singapore from 23 to 25 June 2008, focused on the theme of ...
's nominating committee. Mahbubani also spoke as part of Asian Institute of Finance's Distinguished Speaker Series in 2015 with the title "Can ASEAN re-invent itself?" to over hundreds of financial institution practitioners in
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...
. In 2019, Mahbubani was elected a member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
.


Honours

*
Public Administration Medal The Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (English: Public Administration Medal) is a Singaporean orders and decorations, Singaporean decoration instituted in 1963 and has three grades: * Emas (Gold) * Perak (Silver) * Gangsa (Bronze) The medal may be awarded ...
(Gold) (1998) Mahbubani was conferred the
Public Administration Medal The Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (English: Public Administration Medal) is a Singaporean orders and decorations, Singaporean decoration instituted in 1963 and has three grades: * Emas (Gold) * Perak (Silver) * Gangsa (Bronze) The medal may be awarded ...
(Gold) by the Singapore government in 1998. The Foreign Policy Association Medal was awarded to him in New York in June 2004 with the following opening words in the citation: "A gifted diplomat, a student of history and philosophy, a provocative writer and an intuitive thinker". Mahbubani was also listed as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world by '' Foreign Policy'' and '' Prospect'' magazines in September 2005, and included in the March 2009 ''Financial Times'' list of Top 50 individuals who would shape the debate on the future of capitalism. Mahbubani was selected as one of ''Foreign Policy'' Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2010 and 2011 and one of ''Prospect''s top 50 world thinkers in 2014. The secondary school library of the
Tampines Tampines () is the regional centre of the East Region of Singapore. With a population of 265,340 living across its five subzones, it is the second-most populous planning area in Singapore, according to the DOS Population Trends 2022. It is ho ...
campus of the
United World College of South East Asia The United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is an independent international school in Singapore, and is a member of the United World College (UWC) movement. The school provides a K–12 education consisting of five interlinking elemen ...
(UWCSEA) is named after Mahbubani. He is also a former chair of the UWCSEA foundation.


Personal life

Mahbubani was previously married to Gretchen Liu, a journalist and author on 21 June 1975. Mahbubani later married Anne King Markey on 30 March 1985. When Mahbubani first met Anne, she was part of the
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is an independent agency of the US government created in 1974 that regulates the U.S. derivatives markets, which includes futures, swaps, and certain kinds of options. The Commodity Exchange Act ...
and he was serving as the deputy chief of the Singaporean mission in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The couple has two sons and one daughter. Mahbubani said in an interview that he enjoys jogging as a way of relaxing and easing his mind. He also has a habit of writing while listening to the music of Mohammed Rafi which his mother often put on the radio when he was a child. He also has a Chinese name, being known as ( zh, s=马凯硕, p=Mǎ Kǎishuò). In April 2016, Mahbubani suffered severe chest pains while jogging. He later underwent a double heart bypass operation.


Books

*
Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide Between East and West.
', Steerforth, 2001, ; Times Editions; 3rd edition, 2004, *
Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust Between America and the World
', Perseus Books Group, 2005, *
The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East
', PublicAffairs, 2008, *
The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World
', PublicAffairs, 2013, * ''Can Singapore Survive?'', Straits Times Books, 2015, * ''The ASEAN Miracle: A Catalyst for Peace'', Ridge Books, 2017, * ''Has the West Lost It? A Provocation'', Penguin Books, 2018, *
Has China Won?: The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy
', PublicAffairs, 2020, *
The Asian 21st Century
', Springer, 2022,


References


External links


Kishore Mahbubani's Official Website

Kishore Mahbubani's Official Website

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Podcast of Kishore Mahbubani discussing “the Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East” at the Shanghai International Literary Festival

Transcript of interview on VPRO's ''Tegenlicht'' (Dutch Television)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahbubani, Kishore 1948 births International relations Living people International relations scholars Theorists on Western civilization Singaporean diplomats Singaporean Hindus Singaporean people of Sindhi descent Singaporean sinologists Harvard Fellows Permanent Representatives of Singapore to the United Nations Political realism National University of Singapore faculty University of Singapore alumni Saint Andrew's School, Singapore alumni Dalhousie University alumni Singaporean people of Indian descent Sindhi people Recipients of the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs