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Kishore Mahbubani

Diplomat and author on Asia's rise

Born 1948

Photo: World Economic Forum · CC BY-SA 2.0

Kishore Mahbubani served twice as Singapore's ambassador to the United Nations and twice as president of the UN Security Council. His books argue that the centre of the world economy is returning to Asia after a two-century interruption.

Key achievements

  • Founding dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School, 2004–2017
  • Singapore's ambassador to the UN and Security Council president
  • Author of Can Asians Think? and The Asian 21st Century

Universities

  • National University of SingaporeProfessor1971, 2004–2017

    Singapore, Kent Ridge

    Took his first degree in philosophy in 1971 and was founding dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy from 2004.

Facts

  • He grew up in a household classified as living below the poverty line and was put on a special feeding programme at school.
  • He studied philosophy on a scholarship and has said it taught him to question the assumptions behind Western policy.
  • He founded Singapore's main public policy school and led it for a decade.

Photographs

Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.

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