Can Asians Think?

Opening ramble: I haven't posted recently because we haven't been traveling and, well, that's the most interesting part of living in Singapore. However, thanks to a few emails from friends asking if I haven't been writing because I've fallen on my face again, I figure I better surface every once in awhile to assure folks that I am A-OK. So, on with the show!

     I felt a little awkward going into a local book store and asking the Asian clerks if they had a book by this title, but they didn't bat an eye and quickly retrieved a copy for me. If the book's author, Kishore Mahbubani, had been there he probably would have told me to get over my politically correct self-consciousness. This Singaporean academic and former diplomat believes it's a question that Asians must ask themselves if they are to succeed in the next millennium in light of the West's global dominance during the last millennium. 
     "Can Asians Think?" is a 15-page essay that poses the question as a multiple-choice quiz with yes, no and maybe answers. He then makes pretty convincing arguments for each choice. The big sub-questions I took away are: 
     1) As Asia develops economically, is it prepared to contribute to the advancement of science, art and politics over the centuries ahead as Europe and North America did over the past 600 years? He seems to suggest it's time for Asia to step up as they did in the first millennium.
     2) Must Asia embrace Western-style democracy and individual freedom (and learn to accept the crime, violence and family breakdown that comes with it) to succeed? Mahbubani suggests the West needs to give Asia some leeway as its countries experiment with new ways for democracy to function that will preserve much of the good while minimizing the bad. Mahbubani seems to think it's possible. Only time will tell.
     What I think he's missing is the role individual freedom likely plays in sparking the imagination that leads to innovation. Getting over the fear of rebellion may be the biggest hurdle for Asian governments -- or governments anywhere -- to overcome. Mahbubani says people around the world would do well to ask the question. Can Americans think? Can Europeans think? You do wonder at times.
     The rest of "Can Asians Think?" is a collection of essays and articles that have appeared in mainstream publications from Newsweek to the Wall Street Journal, scholarly publications like Foreign Affairs and the Washington Quarterly, and presentations made at various forums sponsored by the United Nations and other international bodies. 
     You may have seen Mahbubani on TV shows like Fareed Zakaria GPS and Charlie Rose.
     He's a good writer who manages to make potential snoozers like economics, politics and history interesting. He gives you plenty to agree and disagree with.
     I've read a few other Singaporean authors since moving here and I promise to bore you with reports on them only occasionally. Hang in there. It's only a matter of time before we're back on the road again.