The Future Is Asian

Publisher's Summary

In the 19th century, the world was Europeanized. In the 20th century, it was Americanized. Now, in the 21st century, the world is being Asianized.

The “Asian Century” is even bigger than you think. Far greater than just China, the new Asian system taking shape is a multicivilizational order spanning Saudi Arabia to Japan, Russia to Australia, Turkey to Indonesia - linking five billion people through trade, finance, infrastructure, and diplomatic networks that together represent 40 percent of global GDP. China has taken a lead in building the new Silk Roads across Asia, but it will not lead it alone. Rather, Asia is rapidly returning to the centuries-old patterns of commerce, conflict, and cultural exchange that thrived long before European colonialism and American dominance. Asians will determine their own future - and as they collectively assert their interests around the world, they will determine ours as well.

There is no more important region of the world for us to better understand than Asia - and thus we cannot afford to keep getting Asia so wrong. Asia’s complexity has led to common misdiagnoses: Western thinking on Asia conflates the entire region with China, predicts imminent World War III around every corner, and regularly forecasts debt-driven collapse for the region’s major economies. But in reality, the region is experiencing a confident new wave of growth led by younger societies from India to the Philippines, nationalist leaders have put aside territorial disputes in favor of integration, and today’s infrastructure investments are the platform for the next generation of digital innovation.

If the 19th century featured the Europeanization of the world and the 20th century its Americanization, then the 21st century is the time of Asianization. From investment portfolios and trade wars to Hollywood movies and university admissions, no aspect of life is immune from Asianization. With America’s tech sector dependent on Asian talent and politicians praising Asia’s glittering cities and efficient governments, Asia is permanently in our nation’s consciousness. We know this will be the Asian century. Now, we finally have an accurate picture of what it will look like. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Parag Khanna (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Mangled a lot of Chinese personal and.place names

A fine topic but horrendously delivered. Narrator mangled too many personal and place names - Chinese, and.else knows what - to count, and had weird stresses on certain word syllables you might forgive a primary school.student. Ruined what might have been an enjoyable listening.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Very good, comprehensive and sweeping

Narration was surprisingly awful towards the first few chapters. Narrator got “ISIS” wrong several times, as one example.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Incredibly dry and academic

Doesn't tell a story. Just endless litany of historical facts and broad conclusions by the author.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

China/Asian Propaganda

The author of this book makes some valid points. However, his biases kept him from telling the complete story. For example, he pretty much writes off the U.S.A. The bottom line is the 21st. century may be the Asian century, but that does not mean the U.S.A. is not going to continue to be a major player in the world economy for decades to come.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

The Asians are coming

There should be no doubt or surprise that civilizations in the East are ascending to power on the earth. It is an historic fact such repositioning is a normal consequence of things.

A Different Lens

It was a good thing for me to read this book and move my lens of understanding. I have no clue as to the veracity of the predictions, that is how unfamiliar I am with thinking about these issues.

The narration errors made it difficult for me not to focus on my irritation; that surprised me. If a person is sensitive to mispronunciation, be aware, going in.

Bigoted, jingoistic, ethnocentric

This is the worst of 48 titles I’ve purchased on audible. The narration is horrible and the story is pure Asian propaganda, while also bashing the west from every angle possible.

2 of 5 people found this review helpful