Felix Meritis - Agenda - The New Asian Hemisphere; the irresistible shift of global power to the East

Monday November 3 2008 / Citizenship

The New Asian Hemisphere; the irresistible shift of global power to the East

23^rd Globalisation Lecture with Kishore Mahbubani and Frans Timmermans, European Affairs Minister

"You in the West have no idea how the rest of the world views you. They see an emperor with no clothes. The world has changed dramatically, but you completely fail to understand what that means."

For centuries the Asians (Chinese, Indians, Muslims and others) have stood on the sidelines of world history. Now they are ready to demand their share of world power. The East has modernised at a rapid pace, and has the fastest growing economies and the biggest financial reserves in the world. Much is changing in the social and cultural arena as well. But how do Europe and the US react to Asia's turbulent emergence? According to the intellectual Kishore Mahbubani from Singapore, the only group in the West to anticipate the changes in the East is the business world. Western governments, on the other hand, are hiding their heads in the sand and refuse to accept that the shift of economic power will also mean a shift of political and cultural power.

Moderator: Michaël Zeeman

19.00 hrs: film screening
20.30 hrs: 23rd Globalisation Lecture

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