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Schedule

Thursday, March 4, 2021
7:30 p.m. Moderated Discussion
8:15 p.m. Audience Q&A — Questions welcome via the live chat

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For over a year, COVID-19 has disrupted life around the world — closing borders between nations, shutting down businesses and schools, and profoundly altering work and social routines. Yet amid all this, renowned journalist Fareed Zakaria sees transformational possibilities in a post-pandemic world and the political, social, technological, and economic consequences that may take years to unfold. In his book Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, Zakaria helps his audience to begin thinking beyond the immediate effects of COVID-19. Framed in the form of 10 "lessons" which cover topics from natural and biological risks to the rise of "digital life" to an emerging bipolar world order, Zakaria speaks to past, present, and future in a thoughtful reflection on life in the 21st century.

Join Asia Society Texas Center for a conversation with Fareed Zakaria on how the pandemic is speeding up history, a glimpse into the world already in the making, and how our choices today can affect the future.

About the Speaker

Fareed Zakaria hosts Fareed Zakaria GPS for CNN Worldwide and is a columnist for The Washington Post, a contributing editor for The Atlantic, and a bestselling author.

Fareed Zakaria GPS is a weekly international and domestic affairs program that airs on CNN/U.S. and around the world on CNN International. Since its debut in 2008, it has become a prominent television forum for global newsmakers and thought leaders.

Interviews on Fareed Zakaria GPS have included U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Other past guests include military officials such as Gen. David Petraeus and Adm. Michael Mullen; corporate leaders such as Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi; and other public figures like Bill Maher and Bono. The program earned the prestigious Peabody Award in 2011 and has received multiple Emmy nominations.

Zakaria has regularly hosted primetime specials for CNN Worldwide, such as “Blindsided: How ISIS Shook the World,” “Why Trump Won,” and “Putin: The Most Powerful Man in the World.” He frequently contributes his thoughtful analysis of world events and public affairs to CNN.com; Fareed’s Global Briefing, a daily digital newsletter; and other programming across CNN’s multiple platforms.

Zakaria is the author of three highly-regarded and New York Times bestselling books: In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015), a commentary on the importance of a well-rounded education; the international bestselling The Post-American World (1st ed. 2008, 2nd ed. 2011), a discussion of the rise of non-Western powers; and The Future of Freedom (2003), a study of “illiberal democracy” in various countries, also an international bestseller. His latest book is Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World.

Prior to his tenure at CNN Worldwide, Zakaria was editor of Newsweek International, managing editor of Foreign Affairs, a columnist for Time, an analyst for ABC News, and the host of Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS.

In 2017, Zakaria was awarded the Arthur Ross Media Award by the American Academy of Diplomacy, and in 2010, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, one of its highest civilian honors. He was named a “Top 10 Global Thinker of the Last 10 Years” by Foreign Policy magazine in 2019, and Esquire once called him “the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation.”

Zakaria serves on the boards of the Council of Foreign Relations and New America. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a doctorate in political science from Harvard University, and has received numerous honorary degrees.

About the Moderator

Mustafa Tameez is CEO of Outreach Strategists, a leading digital, media, and public affairs firm in Southeast Texas. An advertising expert, national strategist, and former consultant on counter-violent extremism to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Mustafa has appeared more than 600 times on CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC. Tameez is the Chairman of the Board for the Transportation Advocacy Group, a Board member of the National Immigration Forum, a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum, and a member of multiple civic and corporate boards. 

Asia Society hosts today's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect Asia Society views.

Asia Society Texas Center Business & Policy Programs, Endowed by

Huffington Foundation

Business and Policy programs at Asia Society Texas Center are presented by Bank of America, Muffet Blake, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and United Airlines. Major support comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Nancy Pollok Guinee, and Mary Lawrence Porter, as well as The Brown Foundation, Inc. and Houston Endowment. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Asia Society Texas Center, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing the best in public programming.

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About Asia Society at Home

We are dedicated to continuing our mission of building cross-cultural understanding and uplifting human connectivity. Using digital tools, we bring you content for all ages and conversations that matter, in order to spark curiosity about Asia and to foster empathy.

About Asia Society Texas Center

With 13 locations throughout the world, Asia Society is the leading educational organization promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and West. Asia Society Texas Center executes the global mission with a local focus, enriching and engaging the vast diversity of Houston through innovative, relevant programs in arts and culture, business and policy, education, and community outreach.