Nonfiction

Has the West Lost It?: A Provocation

Has the West Lost It?: A Provocation

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  • Create Date：2021-08-31 06:55:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Kishore Mahbubani
  • ISBN：0141986530
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Summary

'A compelling warning 。。。 It is hard to disagree with this advice from such a well-informed friend of the west' Martin Wolf， Financial Times

The West's two-century epoch as global powerhouse is at an end。 A new world order， with China and India as the strongest economies， dawns。 How will the West react to its new status of superpower in decline？

In Kishore Mahbubani's timely polemic， he argues passionately that the West can no longer presume to impose its ideology on the world， and crucially， that it must stop seeking to intervene， politically and militarily， in the affairs of other nations。 He examines the West's greatest follies of recent times: the humiliation of Russia at the end of the Cold War， which led to the rise of Putin， and the invasion of Iraq after 9/11， which destabilised the Middle East。 Yet， he argues， essential to future world peace are the Western constructs of democracy and reason， which it must continue to promote， by diplomacy rather than force， via multilateral institutions of global governance such as the UN。 Only by recognising its changing status， and seeking to influence rather than dominate， he warns， can the West continue to play a key geopolitical role。

'Kishore Mahbubani might well be the most intelligent， friendly and doggedly persistent critic of the West。 In this brief book， he delivers some of his trademark analysis and pungent observations。 We should all think of it as the cold shower that is urgently needed to revive the West' Fareed Zakaria， author of The Post-American World

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Reviews

Kevin Kirs ，

Extremely thought provoking and pissed me off multiple times。 Especially when it came to Russia， which the author unrightfully described as a victim of the West （but I'm from a former Soviet Bloc country so what do I know）。 As a provocation - the book works perfectly。 As a legitimate word of advice for the US and the EU - let's just say it's a matter of taste and depends on where you live。The main issue in my opinion was the pro-Machiavellian approach。 The author gave me the impression that if t Extremely thought provoking and pissed me off multiple times。 Especially when it came to Russia， which the author unrightfully described as a victim of the West （but I'm from a former Soviet Bloc country so what do I know）。 As a provocation - the book works perfectly。 As a legitimate word of advice for the US and the EU - let's just say it's a matter of taste and depends on where you live。The main issue in my opinion was the pro-Machiavellian approach。 The author gave me the impression that if the end justifies its means， then ethical governance doesn't really matter。 For example the reference to the Tiananmen Square Massacre， which the author described as a meer obstacle that Xiaoping needed to overcome in order to further develope China。 Strong-man leadership for the win！ The second issue I had was the overemphasis on GDP， which the author constantly referred to as an example of well-being。 Let me be Captain Obvious and state that GDP doesn't equal how much a country spends on social benefits。 Nor does it showcase life expectancy， education， the level of overall happiness etc。On a positive note， the former President of the UNSC presented many thought provoking ideas， that the West should take into account。 Not only ideas， but the author also challenged the West to change its current diplomatic approach。 Like the senseless war against terrorism， which ends up generating even more terror than it resolves。 Or the unwillingness to seek for a dialogue with certain countries。 Did the war in Afghanistan and Syria fix anything？ Did the strict stance towards Russia turn it into a better and a more peaceful neighbour？ The answers to both questions are no。 International conflict intends to generate further conflict and the only way to end this （otherwise eternal） cycle is to stop meddling with countries we can't "fix"。 Always prefer dialogue over munitions and stop believing that democracy is a necessary condition for economic success。Imagine that one day a missionary knocks on your door and asks you to adapt his way of life。 Once you turn him down， he freezes your bank account and blows up your shead。 After which he asks you again。 How will you respond？If you manage to overcome the minor insults and provocations， it is a great book。 If not， remain pissed and read it just to experience a different perspective on life。 。。。more

Shyue Chou Chuang ，

An excellent treatise and a love letter to the West。 In this thin volume， Kishore Mahbubani penned the worrying trends in the current Western direction。 His is a voice of moderation where he thought where the West had gone awry due to hubris after the so-called "End of History"。 The title is， of course， a rhetorical question。 This short volume should make one question and think。 Recommended。 An excellent treatise and a love letter to the West。 In this thin volume， Kishore Mahbubani penned the worrying trends in the current Western direction。 His is a voice of moderation where he thought where the West had gone awry due to hubris after the so-called "End of History"。 The title is， of course， a rhetorical question。 This short volume should make one question and think。 Recommended。 。。。more

Steven ，

Het boek gaat nergens de diepte in。 De ideeën die geschetst worden zijn niet orgineel。 Het is wel een handige opsomming van ontwikkelingen in de wereld。 De auteur had makkelijk hetzelfde kunnen bereiken in een essay van ~10 pagina's。 Het boek gaat nergens de diepte in。 De ideeën die geschetst worden zijn niet orgineel。 Het is wel een handige opsomming van ontwikkelingen in de wereld。 De auteur had makkelijk hetzelfde kunnen bereiken in een essay van ~10 pagina's。 。。。more

Allison Lee ，

Brilliantly and concisely written， Mahbubani explains how the West needs to pursue a course of prudence and non-interventionist for the betterment of the future of all 193 sovereign countries。 The West needs to stop viewing China and Muslims as a threat and instead work with them to peacefully cede its position as "world superpower" to China as we approach 2050。 This is the first book I'm reading in preparation for university and it reminded me of why I'm studying politics。 Kudos to Mahbubani's Brilliantly and concisely written， Mahbubani explains how the West needs to pursue a course of prudence and non-interventionist for the betterment of the future of all 193 sovereign countries。 The West needs to stop viewing China and Muslims as a threat and instead work with them to peacefully cede its position as "world superpower" to China as we approach 2050。 This is the first book I'm reading in preparation for university and it reminded me of why I'm studying politics。 Kudos to Mahbubani's insight and research。 。。。more

Srividhya Padmanabhan ，

The book presents a lot of interesting insights on the geopolitical situations of the world and postulates a hypothetical world where different strategies in each of the scenarios may have helped us reach a utopia sooner。 Some thought provoking insights are: Did the attempt to expand NATO to the eastern European nations at the end of the cold war， threaten the Russians that they wanted a leader who would represent their national interests leading to the rise of Putin？ How detrimental is the Amer The book presents a lot of interesting insights on the geopolitical situations of the world and postulates a hypothetical world where different strategies in each of the scenarios may have helped us reach a utopia sooner。 Some thought provoking insights are: Did the attempt to expand NATO to the eastern European nations at the end of the cold war， threaten the Russians that they wanted a leader who would represent their national interests leading to the rise of Putin？ How detrimental is the American （or Western） attitude to prioritize their military strategies higher than the economic strategies leading to intervention in almost every other geopolitical issue in the world。 This causes US to focus less on the economic growth making China use the opportunity to grow as an economic power。 Eg。 Vietnam， Iraq， Syria。 Even the whole North Korean scenario would have profited the US better had they intervened with diplomatic attitude and resolved to make a string independent nation at the door step of China thereby threatening China's growth rather than threaten them with war ships。 And several more such interesting questions， but the downside is that the book is not thorough or well researched to provide realistic answers to these questions， rather it always makes sweeping generalizations to all these questions。 Mostly always ending in a scene of perfect utopia。 The book fails to address the issues in domestic politics that leads to the rise and fall of certain politicians thereby making their presence a little tangential to international strategies。 This makes the alternate scenarios presented seem a little too short sighted and narrow minded。 Also the book only addresses the progress of nation in terms of the economic growth， increase in educated population and increase in middle class population size。 But no mention to the long term effects of the extreme capitalistic industrialization， permanent damages to environment， increasing unhappiness among people and other such issues are not seen to。 Nevertheless， led to think about a lot of things and was a very quick read。 。。。more

Amy Joy ，

loved this very interesting makes you really think about how far the world has come and also how quickly world order has shifted till this point （as well as the change that will inevitably come in the future）。 Also have come to the conclusion that i underestimated the influence of Machiavelli and really need to read his work that I， to no surprise， already own。

F。 S。 ，

More an essay than a book。 It introduces some of the challenges that the West is facing and will face in the future:The rise of China for the USThe troublesome ongoings in Middle East The demographic bomb in Africa But if falls short of giving a coherent analysis。I feel like this was planned as an easy read phamplet aimed at Western diplomats and governments。

Madikeri Abu ，

A provocative yet an enlightening and interesting quick read， Has the West Lost It？ by Kishore Mahbubani portrays how China has progressed in the last 30-40 years and the west has regressed at the same time。 Mr。 Mahbubani documents this book with facts and figures and explains how the west is definitely flailing if not falling in every sphere of modern technology and ultimately how the east will emerge as winner again after a period of 500 years， which is an aberration in the progress of human h A provocative yet an enlightening and interesting quick read， Has the West Lost It？ by Kishore Mahbubani portrays how China has progressed in the last 30-40 years and the west has regressed at the same time。 Mr。 Mahbubani documents this book with facts and figures and explains how the west is definitely flailing if not falling in every sphere of modern technology and ultimately how the east will emerge as winner again after a period of 500 years， which is an aberration in the progress of human history。This is a concise yet a plangent book packed with lots of information， coherent argument and deep insight from the perspective of an easterner。 Many in the west may not accept it but hey truth always hurts。 Right？Favorite quote:"The crux of the problem facing the west is that neither the conservatives nor the liberals， neither the right wing nor the left wing， understand that history changed direction at the beginning of the 21st century。 There was when western domination was coming to an end。"⁣ 。。。more

Erin Cook ，

Huge chunks of this aren’t ageing well and I think he forgot about the US Civil War， but anything that puts the Americans in their place is fine by me

Anders ，

Very interesting book。 Full of documented facts。 And relevant。 Warmly recommended。 Ps。 Some reviewers must have totally misunderstood the meaning of the book。 This reviewer lives in continental Europe。 The west has a big problem。 Soon we might become the museum of the world。 Especially Europe。 With little influence on world affairs

Todd Cheng ，

I suggest The 100 Year Marathon as a better read on changing impacts of the west。 However， this author does weave in uncomfortable possible catalysts to the negative changes in geopolitical issues。

Tapan Soni ，

Its a nicely written book。 And changes your perspective about how things are going to change in the next few decades。

John Pabon ，

Review #47 of my 52 week book challenge: Has the West Lost It？⁣⁣Delicately subtitled "A Provocation，" this book is unsettling reading for anyone to be sure。 Mahbubani， one of the leading thinkers on modern-day politics， expertly dissects just what has gone wrong with the western system of government。 As I've said many times before， the upset we're seeing in the global balance of power is only upsetting because it calls into question identity， long-held （but often incorrect） beliefs， and the west Review #47 of my 52 week book challenge: Has the West Lost It？⁣⁣Delicately subtitled "A Provocation，" this book is unsettling reading for anyone to be sure。 Mahbubani， one of the leading thinkers on modern-day politics， expertly dissects just what has gone wrong with the western system of government。 As I've said many times before， the upset we're seeing in the global balance of power is only upsetting because it calls into question identity， long-held （but often incorrect） beliefs， and the west's undying undercurrent of paternalistic post-colonialism。 It's refreshing to hear a voice in agreement。 ⁣⁣"The crux of the problem facing the west is that neither the conservatives nor the liberals， neither the right wing nor the left wing， understand that history changed direction at the beginning of the 21st century。 There was when western domination was coming to an end。"⁣⁣Ultimately， this is just a shift of balance back to the way things were a couple hundred years ago。 For all intents and purposes， 1700-2000 were an anomaly on the historical radar。 ⁣⁣To find out why I started my 52 week book challenge， what I've been reading， and how you can get involved， check out my original LinkedIn Publisher article or follow me。 。。。more

Harry Lee ，

Enjoyed this book more than I expected。 Most of what we read about the 'West' comes from the 'West'。 This is different。 Enjoyed this book more than I expected。 Most of what we read about the 'West' comes from the 'West'。 This is different。 。。。more

Nishant Agarwal ，

Great book！ Shows the mirror to the west and its orientalist attitudes。

Anuthida ，

some sound advice throughout （e。g。 championing multilateralism， diplomacy over military force， non-interventionism）， unfortunately brought down by many simplistic and sweeping generalisations

K Nijs ，

Confronterend inzicht， maar ook een eenzijdig perspectief。 Ik heb indertijd dit als tip naar De Standaard doorgestuurd en heeft het tot artikel gehaald。 De auteur bleef er echter als een kapotte grammofoonplaat hangen in het Grote Verleden。 Toch enigzins benieuwd of de slapende draad terug wakker wordt。

Venkatesh Bhaskarrao ，

The book portrays rosy picture about China， criticizes west and sees a great potential in Asian solidarity and rise of Asia in near future with simultaneous decline of West。It praises west for its power of reasoning but rebukes western hubris and excessive interventionism。Looking from Indian perspective， the book undermines the bullying tactics of China with its neighbors， it tacitly legitimizes China's misadventures in the south Asian region。Looking from Asian perspective， the book is harbinger The book portrays rosy picture about China， criticizes west and sees a great potential in Asian solidarity and rise of Asia in near future with simultaneous decline of West。It praises west for its power of reasoning but rebukes western hubris and excessive interventionism。Looking from Indian perspective， the book undermines the bullying tactics of China with its neighbors， it tacitly legitimizes China's misadventures in the south Asian region。Looking from Asian perspective， the book is harbinger of peace and prosperity and creates a Utopian vision of new world order。The book deserves 4 stars but I felt author did not take impartial view and his leanings towards China were quite obvious therefore 3 stars from me。 。。。more

Charles Anderson ，

Well argued， but uncomfortable reading for someone from "The West"。 I think the author makes a good case for the inevitable relative decline of the West with relation to the rest of the world， and about some of the major mistakes it has made in recent decades。 However， I think he is over-optimistic that rising powers will be more restrained in using their new influence than Europe and North America were。 Well argued， but uncomfortable reading for someone from "The West"。 I think the author makes a good case for the inevitable relative decline of the West with relation to the rest of the world， and about some of the major mistakes it has made in recent decades。 However， I think he is over-optimistic that rising powers will be more restrained in using their new influence than Europe and North America were。 。。。more

Chris Hall ，

This is a thought provoking and uncomfortable read for a Westerner， that our days of being top are probably over。 Some of his criticism of the West can be unfair and some of his praise of China， for instance， can be rose tinted。 But on the whole Mahbubani's arguments can be statistically backed up and his suggestions on how the West can adapt are practical and workable。 What is in doubt if our current leaders in the West have the courage and 'strategic cunning ' to do so。 This is a thought provoking and uncomfortable read for a Westerner， that our days of being top are probably over。 Some of his criticism of the West can be unfair and some of his praise of China， for instance， can be rose tinted。 But on the whole Mahbubani's arguments can be statistically backed up and his suggestions on how the West can adapt are practical and workable。 What is in doubt if our current leaders in the West have the courage and 'strategic cunning ' to do so。 。。。more

Rajat Ubhaykar ，

Some interesting ideas here， but largely a very shallow analysis unworthy of a senior diplomat and commentator。 Some of the bits I found worth quoting: The reality that the West has to deal with is that the primary strategic challenge for America is not the same as the primary strategic challenge for Europe。 For America， it is China。 For Europe， it is the Islamic world at its doorstep in North Africa。 Facts are facts。 Yet each year， when the best Western strategic thinkers converge at the Munich Some interesting ideas here， but largely a very shallow analysis unworthy of a senior diplomat and commentator。 Some of the bits I found worth quoting: The reality that the West has to deal with is that the primary strategic challenge for America is not the same as the primary strategic challenge for Europe。 For America， it is China。 For Europe， it is the Islamic world at its doorstep in North Africa。 Facts are facts。 Yet each year， when the best Western strategic thinkers converge at the Munich Security Conference in February， not one Western strategic thinker can state the most obvious and important thing: American and European interests have diverged。 The election of Trump has brought this divergence out into the open。 It may well go down as one of Trump’s biggest contributions to world history。。。Europe’s primary threat is spillover instability from the Islamic world。 As long as North Africa and the Middle East are populated with struggling states， migrants will come into Europe， stirring populist parties。 However， if Europe helps North Africa to replicate the successful economic development stories of Malaysia （described earlier） and Indonesia， Europe will have built a strategic bulwark against unmanageable migrant flows。 In short， it is in Europe’s strategic interest to import the East Asian economic success stories into North Africa。 Hence， Europe should work with China， not against China， to build up North Africa。 。。。more

Richard ，

Tired， unoriginal brain dump of one man's complaints about America。 Tired， unoriginal brain dump of one man's complaints about America。 。。。more

Andrew ，

Well written - no silly or unnecessary academic jargon to dissuade readers wanting a clearer idea of the current geopolitical climate and a brief history of how we came to be here。 Mahbubani's book is small and manageable and a good start to understanding this area！Particularly relevant to read now as the geopolitical landscape is changing so quickly。 Also interesting to reflect on Mahbubani's arguments in light of Trump's handling of COVID19 and the position of the USA in a post-pandemic world。 Well written - no silly or unnecessary academic jargon to dissuade readers wanting a clearer idea of the current geopolitical climate and a brief history of how we came to be here。 Mahbubani's book is small and manageable and a good start to understanding this area！Particularly relevant to read now as the geopolitical landscape is changing so quickly。 Also interesting to reflect on Mahbubani's arguments in light of Trump's handling of COVID19 and the position of the USA in a post-pandemic world。Would highly recommend。 。。。more

Firoz Kathrada ，

Has the West lost it？Is it a rhetorical question or is it a preamble to a warning to the West？The Europeans gave the rest of the world the best gift that humanity needed for its development: reasoning or the power of rationality。 Admittedly， this was done through slavery， dogmatic coerciveness， colonialism and an exercised dictatorial power。 The world should nevertheless be thankful to the Europeans as they brought the enlightenment era to other communities。 Today， the world is ripping the benef Has the West lost it？Is it a rhetorical question or is it a preamble to a warning to the West？The Europeans gave the rest of the world the best gift that humanity needed for its development: reasoning or the power of rationality。 Admittedly， this was done through slavery， dogmatic coerciveness， colonialism and an exercised dictatorial power。 The world should nevertheless be thankful to the Europeans as they brought the enlightenment era to other communities。 Today， the world is ripping the benefit of rational thinking。 One just has to look at the scientific research， innovations and political and judicial applications in the whole world to see the hands of the Europeans system。 Yet， instead of using their comparative advantage and advance compared to the rest of the world， the West is shrinking in importance。 The answer is found in events starting with the fall of the Berlin Wall up to date。 The West did not understand that their system has won with the end of the communist regime， and it should be celebrated。 What they took from it is that they are superior and did not use this to realign their geological and economic strategies。They continued to believe that they were the natural allies of the US while putting fire in Muslim countries。 They also continue to look at Africa with this air of superiority。 Today， they are bearing the fruit of their mistakes。 The wars started by the US with their approval has dear consequences for the Europeans and not for the US as Europe cannot invent an ocean between them and the Middle East。 So， the Muslim population they so fear is coming to haunt them。 Same with the Northern African that they have pushed to believe that they were inferior。 The filters they should have expected from these countries to stop the Sub Saharan African migration cannot be appealed。 That's what is called shooting yourself in the foot。 The US is not outdone either with their policy to intervene in the Middle East， which led Muslims to believe that the US is their enemy。 The stances taken by Washington DC policymakers are at times so stupid that it is mind-blowing。 For instance， they are protecting the Strait of Hormuz in order for China to continue getting its ration of petrol to fuel its economy。 The US is self-sufficient in fuel， why would they protect the Chinese economy when at the same time they are fighting Chinese trade！ It seems as if there's an animal called the US with two heads and both are taking contradicting and opposing decisions。 This book is more of a warning， particularly to the European countries。 It explains to them that the world has changed as from 1989 and that they need to reassess their strategic partners。 Maybe Russia is not the real enemy， maybe the US is not their primary partner， maybe China is better understood as a long-term partner， maybe the fight between the Muslims populations better be left as their internal concerns， maybe that the days where the West had lessons to impose is over。 。。。more

Joe ，

Thoughtful overview of the changing world order （from West to “Rest”） and analysis of how the West should lead。 Though Mahbubani is a bit too fatalistic， his warnings are real and should be heeded。

Hunter Marston ，

This book was a very quick and enjoyable read。 It was incredibly clearly written。 However， I don't agree with a large portion of Kishore's central argument。 And it doesn't help him that he misreads numerous subplots within his overall worldview （ASEAN's role in democratizing Myanmar， for instance）。 He's rather rosy-eyed regarding the threat Russia poses to Europe， and in my mind largely wrong about the US-China relationship （he views China as primarily an economic threat to the United States and This book was a very quick and enjoyable read。 It was incredibly clearly written。 However， I don't agree with a large portion of Kishore's central argument。 And it doesn't help him that he misreads numerous subplots within his overall worldview （ASEAN's role in democratizing Myanmar， for instance）。 He's rather rosy-eyed regarding the threat Russia poses to Europe， and in my mind largely wrong about the US-China relationship （he views China as primarily an economic threat to the United States and not a military one， conveniently overlooking Washington's alliance network in Asia）。 Still the work is prescient on issues of human migration， democratization， and economic development。 A worthwhile read。 。。。more

Alex Lyashok ，

In 2020， this is a good read on West's politics as seen by political scientist living in Singapore。 In 2020， this is a good read on West's politics as seen by political scientist living in Singapore。 。。。more

Bert Hartog ，

Fascinating perspective on current affairs

David King ，

The author Kishore Mahbubani is a political thinker talking about the rise of China and how it will surpass America as the number 1 economy。 Is the USA ready？ This book is a short read and gives a great analysis of the geopolitics between China and US。 Many americans don't know that 9/11 was not only the date of the terrorist attack that shook the US。 It was also the year that China joined the World Trade Organization pouring 1 billion Chinese people into the job market。 Things start to look wor The author Kishore Mahbubani is a political thinker talking about the rise of China and how it will surpass America as the number 1 economy。 Is the USA ready？ This book is a short read and gives a great analysis of the geopolitics between China and US。 Many americans don't know that 9/11 was not only the date of the terrorist attack that shook the US。 It was also the year that China joined the World Trade Organization pouring 1 billion Chinese people into the job market。 Things start to look worse for the West。 The book acknowledges the immense contribution that the West has done。 The East have leaned from the West and now waking up while the West is going to sleep。 A good read 。。。more

Adam ，

The view expressed by the Author is not surprising to me （a reader in ASEAN）， it laid down a general overview of the Asian Value。 I shared the same sentiment and I find some examples given by the Author provided food for thought。 I would， however， be more appreciative， if the Author could provide a more in-depth discussion based on the examples he has given。 To me， this book merely provides a glimpse to the people in the West of how the Rest thought about them and not the other way。 After all， t The view expressed by the Author is not surprising to me （a reader in ASEAN）， it laid down a general overview of the Asian Value。 I shared the same sentiment and I find some examples given by the Author provided food for thought。 I would， however， be more appreciative， if the Author could provide a more in-depth discussion based on the examples he has given。 To me， this book merely provides a glimpse to the people in the West of how the Rest thought about them and not the other way。 After all， this book is intended to serve a warning to the West。 。。。more

Reference

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The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Has the West Lost It?: A Provocation&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0