Winds of Change: ASEAN
VIEW EVENT DETAILSIn Samuel Huntington’s much talked about A Clash of Civilizations, he hypothesizes that cultural and religious differences would play out to be the major sources of conflict in the post-Cold War era. With a population of over 600 million comprising ten member countries, Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) covers one of the most diverse regions of the world, especially in terms of culture, religion and language. Then, given Huntington’s hypothesis, ASEAN should be the most conflict-prone region. However, in many ways, the political and economic stability observed in ASEAN countries is testament to the fact that its success story is an extraordinary one. In his latest book The ASEAN Miracle (co-authored with Jeffrey Sng), Prof. Kishore Mahbubani, former Dean of the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School and formerly Singapore’s representative to the United Nations, highlights the spirit of equality and harmony between the ten countries as an example from which the rest of the world can learn. Another significant contribution of ASEAN is its role as a politically neutral platform for bigger global powers, such as the United States and China, to conduct negotiations.
In the context of the breakdown of the 19th SAARC summit, following the Uri terrorist attacks, as well as the exit of Britain from the European Union, questions have arisen about the strength and relevance of regional organizations in the world today. However, ASEAN’s record during the 50 years of its existence shows that with the right model, a regional organization, can indeed be successful. What are some of the lessons other regional organizations like SAARC can learn from ASEAN’s model? How can countries like India and the United States strengthen its relationship with ASEAN? We discuss these questions and more in a panel featuring Prof. Kishore Mahbubani and Edgard Kagan, the Consul-General of the American Consulate General in Mumbai, moderated by Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Editor at The Hindu.
Kishore Mahbubani is a Professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Before that, he served in the Singapore Foreign Service for 33 years (from 1971 to 2004) – notably as Singapore’s Ambassador to the UN, President of the UN Security Council (in January 2001 and May 2002), and Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Ministry (from 1993 to 1998). He is a prolific speaker and writer on public policy issues.
Edgard D. Kagan assumed the post of U.S. Consul General in Mumbai on August 1, 2017. Edgard Kagan served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 2014-2017. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Deputy Director of the U.S. Mission to the UN’s Washington Office.
Suhasini Haidar is the Diplomatic Editor of The Hindu, and has covered India's foreign policy, regional conflicts and international relations for more than two decades. Prior to this Suhasini was the Foreign Editor at CNN-IBN, and correspondent for CNN International before that.
This programme is the second in our Winds of Change panels, and is part of our Asia: Beyond The Headlines series.
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Event Details
The Rendezvous
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
Colaba, Mumbai