Why the United States Is Really Losing to China (w/ Kishore Mahbubani)

Current Affairs

Kishore Mahbubani is a renowned diplomat, scholar, and one of the most insightful analysts of global power dynamics. He served as Singapore’s Ambassador to the United Nations and as President of the UN Security Council, and is the author of books including "Has China Won?" and "Has the West Lost It?"

Mahbubani joins Current Affairs to explain why the United States is losing ground to China--not because of Chinese aggression, but because of internal dysfunction, elite failure, and strategic incoherence. He critiques the emotional, zero-sum mindset dominating U.S. foreign policy and calls for a more rational, cooperative approach to global affairs.

🌏 Follow Kishore on Twitter: https://x.com/mahbubani_k

🌏 Buy Kishore's Books: https://mahbubani.net/books/

0:00-3:57 The Good News

3:57- 6:54 Why Americans Fear China

6:54-9:51 The Failure of American Elites

9:51-15:31 Why Trump Should Work With China

15:31-21:38 Is China Communist?

21:38-23:37 Is America The Best Model?

23:37-27:14 Does America Think Strategically?

27:14-30:08 America's Wasteful Defense Spending

30:08-35:15 America's Strategic Errors

35:15-41:17 America's Disdain for the UN

41:17-46:17 The Potential For Cooperation

🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership

🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs

🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/