Has China Won? Kishore Mahbubani on America’s Strategic Dilemma in the 21st Century
Kishore Mahbubani’s Has China Won? opens with a bold provocation: can America truly lose to China? Drawing lessons from history, Mahbubani argues that the United States risks misreading China by framing it as merely a communist adversary, rather than a civilization-state playing the long game of wei qi. With American soft power in decline and global alliances strained, Mahbubani poses ten strategic questions that Washington must answer to remain relevant. This essay unpacks his arguments, exploring how the US-China contest will define the 21st century and reshape the global order.