Kishore Mahbubani, diplomat and author, is dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He is the author of four books, most recently The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World.
Mahbubani was in the Singapore foreign service from 1971 to 2004. He has been posted in Cambodia, Malaysia, and Washington D.C., and served two postings as Singapore ambassador to the UN.
Mahbubani has also served as president of the UN Security Council in January 2001 and May 2002. From 1993 to 1998 he was permanent secretary at the Foreign Ministry of Singapore. In 2004 he was appointed as dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.
Featured Work
AUG 23, 2016 • Podcast
The "Living, Breathing Modern Miracle" of ASEAN
Southeast Asia is the most diverse region on Earth, says Kishore Mahbubani, yet instead of a clash of civilizations, ASEAN is bringing about a fusion ...
FEB 12, 2013 • Podcast
The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World
As more people become prosperous and interstate conflicts diminish, there is a convergence between East and West, says Kishore Mahbubani. Now we have to change ...
OCT 16, 2012 • Podcast
Public Affairs: America in the 21st Century: A View from Asia
The good, the bad, and the ugly: distinguished Singaporean Kishore Mahbubani politely but firmly tells Americans how Asians see them, and warns, "the world that ...
MAR 4, 2008 • Podcast
The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East
Kishore Mahbubani argues that the Western dominance is waning and Asia has adopted many Western best practices, from meritocracy to free-market economics. Therefore it's high ...
MAR 2, 2005 • Podcast
Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust Between America and the World
Mahbubani observes that much of the world is disappointed with America's leadership, and yet would like it to take the lead in creating a stable ...
MAR 4, 2004 • Transcript
The UN Security Council: From the Cold War to the 21st Century
Malone points out that disagreements among the Permanent Five Security Council members have been confined to just three issues since the end of the Cold ...
APR 24, 2003 • Transcript
Unilateralism and U.S. Foreign Policy
How is U.S. unilateralism in foreign policy perceived from abroad? This panel of international affairs experts presents a range foreign perspectives and discusses the ...
JAN 24, 2002 • Transcript
Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide Between East and West
The world is nearing the end of a 500-year cycle of Western-dominated history that began with European colonization, says Mahbubani. The end of the Cold ...