Asia rising

In his influential book, "The New Asian Hemisphere," Kishore Mahbubani makes only passing mention of the CR in reference to missile defense in Central Europe, but he includes the Czechs when he says the West has failed to see that the world has entered a new era. The Asian century has come, says Mahbubani (a Singaporean professor of public policy), and he adds that Western leaders are incapable of conceding that the West itself could be the fundamental source of the new dangers in the 21st century. He blames the nuclear states - esp. the U.S. - for bringing about increased nuclear proliferation, for example. He makes no specific proclamation on missile defense, but his message seems clear: If it leads to another arms race with Russia and/or China, it will contribute to the world's problems - instead of solving them - at a time when there's a power gap: The West is losing its grip, and Asia isn't yet ready to step in and assume the world's leadership role. [Czech Republic The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East Foreign Affairs United States of America Council on Foreign Relations radar]