Kishore Mahbubani
Singapore- Kishore Mahbubani: A Diplomatic and Academic Luminary
- Diplomatic Career
- Academic Career
- Authorship
- Other Contributions
- Personal Life
Kishore Mahbubani: A Diplomatic and Academic Luminary
Early Life and EducationKishore Mahbubani was born in Singapore into a Sindhi Hindu family displaced from the Sindh province during the partition of India. His academic journey began at Tanjong Katong Technical School and St. Andrew's School. In 1967, he received the President's Scholarship to study at the University of Singapore (present-day National University of Singapore), where he graduated with First Class Honors in Philosophy in 1971. He subsequently obtained a Master of Philosophy degree from Dalhousie University in 1976.
Diplomatic Career
Upon completing his studies, Mahbubani joined Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 1971 as a Diplomatic Service Officer. He served in various postings, including Cambodia, Malaysia, and the United States. From 1993 to 1998, he held the position of Permanent Secretary at the MFA.
Mahbubani was appointed Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1984 to 1989 and again from 1998 to 2004. During his tenure as Permanent Representative, he served as President of the United Nations Security Council for both January 2001 and May 2002.
Academic Career
Mahbubani's academic career began with his appointment as Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He also holds the position of Professor of Practice in Public Policy. Additionally, he was a Fellow at Harvard University's Center for International Relations in 1991-92. He is currently on the Board of Trustees of the International Advisory Council at Bocconi University.
Authorship
Mahbubani is widely renowned for his books, including "Can Asians Think?," "Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rediscovering Trust between America and the World," and "The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East." His articles have been published in prominent publications such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Washington Quarterly, Survival, The American Interest, The National Interest, Time, Newsweek, Financial Times, and The New York Times.
In his book "The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World," Mahbubani discusses how the last 30 years have witnessed more positive change in the world than the previous 300 years. The book has been favorably reviewed in media outlets such as the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Other Contributions
Mahbubani serves on the boards and councils of several institutions in Singapore, Europe, and North America, including the Yale University President's Council on International Activities, the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs, the Prime Minister of India's Global Advisory Council, the International Advisory Board of Bocconi University, the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on China, and the Nominating Committee of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize.
He has also been a keynote speaker at notable events, including the Asian Institute of Finance's Distinguished Speaker Series in 2015, where he addressed the topic "Can ASEAN Reinvent Itself?"
Personal Life
Mahbubani was married to Gretchen Gustavson, a journalist and writer, on June 21, 1975. He later married Anne King Markie on March 30, 1985. They have two sons and a daughter.
Mahbubani enjoys jogging as a way to relax and clear his mind. He also has a habit of writing while listening to the music of Mohammed Rafi, which his mother often played on the radio when he was a child. He is also known by his Chinese name, Mu Qishu.
In April 2016, Mahbubani experienced severe chest pains while jogging and subsequently underwent double-bypass heart surgery.
