Due to unforeseen circumstances, the abovementioned The Ngee Ann Kongsi-RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture is cancelled.

Abstract

Dr Stephen Roach’s new book, Accidental Conflict, argues that conflict escalation between the world’s two superpowers would not have happened had it not been for the false narratives that both the US and China embrace in blaming each other for their own economic and political shortcomings. These false narratives, amplified by information distortion and social networks, are more a reflection of each nation’s exaggerated fears of the other than an honest self-assessment of serious problems of their own making. Unfortunately, this blame game continues to intensify. Over the short span of five years (2018 – 2022), the US and China have entered into trade and tech wars and are now engaging in the early skirmishes of a new Cold War. An innovative roadmap for conflict resolution will be presented by Dr Roach as an urgent action plan that should be seriously considered by both sides before it is too late.

About the speaker

Stephen Roach has been a senior fellow at Yale University since 2010 where he developed new courses on Asia, notably “The Next China” and “The Lessons of Japan.” Prior to moving to academia, he spent thirty years at Morgan Stanley, where for the bulk of his career he served as the firm′s chief economist, heading up a highly regarded team of economists around the world. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Hong Kong-based Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia with oversight responsibilities for the firm′s client relationships in the region. His recent research has focused on the conflict-prone US-China relationship, which was featured in his 2014 book, Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China and in his new book, Accidental Conflict: America, China, and the Clash of False Narratives (November 2022). Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 1982, he worked in senior capacities at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company and the Federal Reserve Board in Washington D.C. He holds a PhD in economics from New York University and was a research fellow at the Brookings Institution. He lives in New Canaan, Connecticut.

About The Ngee Ann Kongsi-RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture Series

The Ngee Ann Kongsi-RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture series is funded out of an endowment established on 27 November 2007 from a generous donation by The Ngee Ann Kongsi and a matching grant from the Singapore Government.  Income from this endowed Ngee Ann Kongsi Professorship in International Relations is used to engage renowned scholars in international relations to share their knowledge with RSIS and the Singapore community.  Distinguished scholars who have visited RSIS under this endowed professorship include:

1.  Professor Jia Jingguo, Dean, School of International Studies, at Peking University;
2.  Professor David Shambaugh, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and
Director of China Policy Program, Sigur Center for Asian Studies,
at The George Washington University;
3.  Professor Steve Chan, College Professor of Distinction and Professor of Political Science,
University of Colorado; and
4.  Professor Evelyn Goh, Shedden Professor of Strategic Policy Studies, and Director of
Research, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University.