Parag Khanna | “My limo is a Skoda." (interview)

I'M TALKING TO WHO?! (a conversation series)

A year after Parag Khanna became the most hated man in Mongolia for making a disparaging (yet accurate!) remark about their geopolitical prospects, he accepted the president of Mongolia’s invitation to visit the country. But instead of flying like a normal person, Parag drove 13,000km from London to Ulaanbaatar (as part of the Mongol Rally) in a decommissioned British Army Land Rover field ambulance, which he then donated to Mongolia’s medical services. This is what I admire most about my friend Parag: if and when he doesn’t have actual skin in the game, he has the next best thing: his feet on the ground. Parag Khanna, who turns 40 this month, is a scholar and a traveller (not always in that order) and a wise and well-informed man, characterised as a visionary by none other than THE BLACK SWAN's Nassim Taleb. In this conversation, which took place backstage at the Moscow Urban Forum a few minutes after I'd interviewed him on-stage for the Forum itself, we get into Parag’s views on: * What it means to fuse the reality between “what you read” and “what you see” * The paradox of how the future success of globalisation depends on increased tribalism (and why he supports secessionist movements) * Why it’s probably your own goddamn government’s fault if you’re unhappy that your job went overseas * How most people misuse the term globalisation in pathetically self-serving ways * Why it's sound judgment to "trust the traveller.” * Why Berlin, London, Singapore, New York are awesome * Why Dubai (Dubai??) is REALLY awesome, too Jeremy Hildreth is the idiosyncratic proprietor of the "I'm talking to who?!" conversation series. The ambition here is to start with a fascinating guest who's lived a remarkable life so far, then goad him or her into a ranging, elucidating, and revelatory conversation. http://jeremyhildreth.com | If you want to never be boring (or bored) work with me. iTunes cover art by Carmen Nistor | https://www.saatchiart.com/carmennistor Parag Khanna | http://www.paragkhanna.com/