Mahbubani

Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and former president of the United Nations Security Council, will deliver the Henry E. and Nancy Horton Bartels 2013 World Affairs Fellowship Lecture Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. in Kennedy Hall's Call Auditorium.

Mahbubani, who will speak on "The Great Convergence: Asia, the West and the Logic of One World" -- also the title of his latest book -- served for 33 years as a diplomat for Singapore with postings in Malaysia, Cambodia, Washington, D.C., and New York. He served twice as Singapore's ambassador to the U.N. and in January 2001 and May 2002 as president of the Security Council. A consultant to Asian policymakers and multinational corporations, Mahbubani maintains that to be successful, firms must have a global strategy with a focus on Asia.

Foreign Policy magazine called Mahbubani "the muse of the Asian century" and named him one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2005, 2010 and 2011. His articles on such topics as globalization, free trade and political leadership have appeared in Foreign Affairs and The New York Times. The Financial Times included Mahbubani on its list of influential people who will frame the debate about the "future of capitalism."

Said Lawrence Summers, former U.S. Treasury secretary and Harvard University president: "There is no more thoughtful observer of Asia, the United States and their interaction than Kishore Mahbubani."

The lecture is sponsored by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.