#54- Kishore Mahbubani : New Hard Truths for 21st Century Geopolitics

Sep 19, 2025

In a riveting conversation, Kishore Mahbubani, a former diplomat and founding dean at the Lee Kuan Yew School, shares powerful insights on contemporary geopolitics. He reflects on his early experiences in war-torn Cambodia and how they ignited his commitment to peace. Discussing Trump's tariffs, he analyzes their geopolitical repercussions and the allure of protectionism. Kishore emphasizes Asia's rising influence and cautions young Singaporeans about the importance of remaining vigilant and grounded in their success. A thought-provoking dialogue on the changing tides of global politics!

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ANECDOTE

Surviving Shelling In Phnom Penh

Kishore Mahbubani narrowly survived daily shelling in Phnom Penh in 1973 and witnessed mass casualties at a shelled marketplace.
The experience convinced him diplomats must work to prevent wars because of how destructive conflict is.

ANECDOTE

Rajaratnam’s Brave Stand In Havana

Kishore watched S. Rajaratnam bravely defend Singapore against pro-Soviet leaders at a Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Havana.
That episode taught him courage and how strong leaders survive crises without melting.

ANECDOTE

Why The UN Matters To Small States

Kishore fell in love with the UN after his 1984 posting and sees it as the only global village council.
He argues the UN is indispensable despite media delegitimization and a tiny budget.

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This is a recording of a conversation I had with Prof Kishore Mahbubani at an event I co-organized with Bloomberg Singapore and Thinksuite. I hope you will enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Thank you Bloomberg and Thinksuite for your support of the podcast.

Kishore Mahbubani is a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore (NUS). Mr Mahbubani has been privileged to enjoy two distinct careers, in diplomacy (1971 to 2004) and in academia (2004 to 2019).

He is a prolific writer who has spoken in many corners of the world. In diplomacy, he was with the Singapore Foreign Service for 33 years (1971 to 2004). He had postings in Cambodia, Malaysia, Washington DC and New York, where he twice was Singapore's Ambassador to the UN and served as President of the UN Security Council in January 2001 and May 2002.

He was Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Ministry from 1993 to 1998.

Mr Mahbubani joined academia in 2004, when he was appointed the Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School), NUS. He was Dean from 2004 to 2017, and a Professor in the Practice of Public Policy from 2006 to 2019.

This is the 54th episode of The Front Row Podcast.

CHAPTERS: 00:00 Trailer & Intro00:50 The Trauma of War in Cambodia05:47 Revolut Business Ad07:12 Learning From S Rajaratnam In Cuba13:52 Experiences at the United Nations21:32 Winners and Losers Of Trump's Trade Wars36:37 Are We In The Asian Century?43:49 Will The US Decline?44:50 Role Of Gulf Countries45:34 Pragmatism vs. Idealism46:06 Kishore's Answers51:09 What Keeps Kishore Up At Night?51:32 Will China Force Everyone To Be Protectionist52:44 Advice For Young Singaporeans53:19 Economic Fallout for US on Tariffs53:42 Kishore's Answers 2

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Note: Prof Kishore misspoke early on refering to S Rajaratnam as Prime Minister but in fact, he meant to say Foreign Minister.