Abstract

The global order is shifting. For much of the modern era, power was concentrated in the hands of a few states or alliances. Today, however, Asia is emerging at the centre of a more complex, multipolar world. China’s rise, India’s dynamism, Japan’s assertiveness, and the growing influence of middle powers such as Indonesia and Vietnam are reshaping the strategic landscape. At the same time, the United States, Russia and Europe are seeking to deepen their presence in the Indo-Pacific, intensifying competition and opportunity alike.

In this lecture, Professor Peter Frankopan explores how historical precedents of multipolarity – from empires and rivalries of the past – shed light on today’s transformations. He asks what this means for diplomacy, security, and economic resilience, and how small states like Singapore can navigate and even shape this evolving order.

About the Speaker

Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and UNESCO Professor of Silk Roads Studies at King’s College, Cambridge. His books include The First Crusade: The Call from the East (2012) which was described as ‘over-turning a millennium of scholarship’ (The Times) and ‘the most significant contribution to re-thinking the origins and causes of the First Crusade for a generation’ (The Times Literary Supplement). The Silk Roads: A New History of the World (2015), which was described ‘not just the most important history book in years, but the most important in decades’ (Berliner Zeitung). It was named one of the Sunday Times Books of the Decade (2010-19) and as one of the 25 most important books translated into Chinese, alongside Pride and Prejudice and A Hundred Years of Solitude. His book, The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World (2018) was awarded the Carical Prize for Social Sciences in 2019.

Peter’s most recent book is The Earth Transformed: An Untold History (2023), which looks at the role played by climate, nature the environment since the dawn of time has been a major bestseller around the world. It was a Financial Times, Sunday Times, Le Point, Guardian Book of the Year, and The Times History Book of the Year. According to the Financial Times, ‘Humanity has transformed the Earth: Franko pan transforms our understanding of history.’

Peter is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Royal Geographic Society, the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Anthropological Institute, He is also President of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs. He advises governments, multi-lateral institutions around the world about global affairs. Often described as a ‘rockstar’ academic (BBC News, New Statesman, The Times, Der Spiegel), Peter has been called ‘the first great historian of the 21^st century’ (DCM magazine).