Kevin Rudd on the 'Avoidable War' Between the United States and China

No bilateral relationship in the world is more important than that of the United States and China: the world’s two largest economies and most advanced military powers. But after decades of relative stability, Sino-American ties have frayed. Preventing further deterioration in the years ahead is seen as crucial to global peace and security.

Asia Society Policy Institute President Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia, has been studying China for a lifetime — focusing, most recently, on the U.S.-China relationship. His new publication, The Avoidable War: The Case for Managed Strategic Competition, is a collection of speeches delivered in the past year that examine how the ground is shifting between the two countries. Together, the speeches are essential reading on the world’s most crucial relationship — and offer a glimpse at what to expect in the 2020s and beyond.

Download The Avoidable War here.

Go deeper:

The latest episode of our Asia In-Depth podcast features Rudd in conversation on U.S.-China relations with Asia Society Executive Vice President Tom Nagorski.
On Thursday, Rudd will discuss his new publication at Asia Society New York with former financial diplomat Michael Greenwald. Our live webcast begins at 8:30 a.m.

Learn More

PODCAST

Fatima Bhutto on the Global Rise of Asian Mass Culture

Conversations about “Asia’s rise” typically revolve around economies and militaries. But the growing global influence of Asian culture is no less significant. South Korean pop music concerts sell out within minutes in the United States and Europe. Indian “Bollywood” films attract audiences of hundreds of millions of people. And Turkish television dramas — called dizi — have found an avid fanbase as far afield as Peru.

In the latest episode of Asia In-Depth, Fatima Bhutto, author of the book New Kings of the World, examines the rise of Asian mass culture and argues that it poses the greatest threat yet to American soft power dominance.

Listen

CURRENT AFFAIRS

Ethan Allen CEO Farooq Kathwari on Kashmir, India, Pakistan and His Amazing Life Story

Born in Kashmir in 1944, Farooq Kathwari immigrated to the United States and eventually found success as the chairman, president, and CEO of one of America’s most iconic brands: Ethan Allen Interiors. In a recent conversation with Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran at Asia Society New York, Kathwari discussed the Indian siege of Kashmir, recounted his professional rise in the United States, and reflected on the legacy of his son Irfan, who died during the Afghan Civil War in 1992.

Watch

ET CETERA

Tishani Doshi's Latest; China's New Virus; Modi's Right Turn

Poet and novelist Tishani Doshi read from her new novel Small Days and Nights and sat for a conversation with fellow author Salman Rushdie at Asia Society New York. Small Days and Nights tells the story of Grace, a woman who returns to Pondicherry, India, from the United States following her mother’s death only to discover she received an inheritance — one that was more than she bargained for.

In addition to discussing her novel, Doshi performed a reading of one of her best-known poems “Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods.”
The outbreak of the coronavirus, which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has so far infected over 4,500 people in several countries and has led to more than 100 deaths, all in China. (Here's a link to the latest information, as well as a recommendation from the CDC to avoid nonessential travel to China). The Chinese government has enforced strict travel restrictions in Wuhan and several other cities; the country’s annual Lunar New Year celebrations have largely been curtailed. The coronavirus outbreak is China’s most serious public health crisis since Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) afflicted the country in 2002-2003.

ChinaFile Editor Susan Jakes, who reported extensively on SARS, discussed China’s current struggle in an appearance on BBC’s The Real Story.
Asia Society Policy Institute's Anubhav Gupta writes in World Policy Review about India's Citizenship Amendment Act in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's embrace of increasingly nationalistic politics.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Jan. 30: Pulitzer-nominated foreign correspondent Jean Lee and Korea expert Scott Snyder discuss security challenges on the Korean peninsula at Asia Society Texas.
Feb. 1: Asia Society New York’s annual Lunar New Year family day is back with performances and craft activities.
Feb. 1: The 2020 Asia Arts Game Changer Awards India returns with a gala celebration of three honorees: Vivan Sundaram, Tiffany Chung, and Prabhakar Pachpute.
Feb. 3: Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, a 2019 Asia Game Changer, will speak at Asia Society New York about her city as it prepares to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

JOIN & SUPPORT

Asia Society relies on the generosity of its friends and members to support its mission of strengthening relationships and promoting understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States.