Narrator: Imagine standing in Moscow's Red Square. Instead of military parades, the square is filled with dozens of shiny, colorful race trucks, their sides plastered with corporate logos. They are being prepped for the Silk Way Rally, a grueling race not across a desert, but across the entire Eurasian landmass—from Moscow, over the Ural Mountains, through Kazakhstan, and all the way to the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an. This isn't just a race; it's a rolling symbol of a new world taking shape, a world connected by new silk roads of steel, fiber optics, and commerce, with Asia at its center. This scene captures the central argument of Parag Khanna's book, Asia First: China and the Making of the New World Order. Khanna argues that the world has fundamentally misunderstood the 21st century. We are not witnessing the "rise" of Asia as a future event; we are already living in an Asian-led world. The book provides a new map to understand this reality, urging us to see that history has not ended, but has simply returned to its oldest and largest continent.

Narrator: The common narrative of an emerging "Asian Century" is already outdated. Parag Khanna argues that it officially began in 2017, when leaders from across the continent gathered in Beijing for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) summit. This wasn't just a meeting about infrastructure; it was a declaration that Asia was no longer a collection of disparate countries but an increasingly coherent system ready to shape its own future.

The economic data is staggering. The Asian economic zone now accounts for 50 percent of global GDP and two-thirds of global economic growth. But this shift is about more than just numbers. It’s about a change in mindset. As Chinese President Xi Jinping declared, "It is for the people of Asia to run the affairs of Asia, solve the problems of Asia, and uphold the security of Asia." This represents a decisive break from a world where Asia was seen as strategically passive and dependent on American leadership.

To grasp the continent's nature, Khanna shares a conversation with National Geographic explorer Paul Salopek, who was walking across the globe. When asked to describe Asia, Salopek called it a "vast mosaic of microworlds, loosely knitted together by forces beyond my ken." This captures the essence of the new Asia: a region of immense diversity that is, for the first time in centuries, weaving itself into a cohesive whole.

Narrator: To understand Asia's present, one must re-examine the past. The book argues that the last 500 years of Western dominance were an historical anomaly. For most of recorded history, Asia was the world's most important region, a hub of commerce, science, and culture. The author’s response to a German president’s question about the view from Asia was simple: "The view from Asia is that history has not ended but returned."

This perspective challenges Eurocentric historical narratives. For instance, in the 10th century, the imperial library of China's Tang Dynasty held 80,000 volumes, while the largest library in northern Europe contained only 800. Key technologies that powered Europe’s rise were often acquired secondhand. A compelling story illustrates this: in the 8th century, Arab conquerors defeated the Tang Dynasty and captured Chinese papermakers. These prisoners transmitted their skills to the Islamic world, and from there, the technology eventually spread to Europe, revolutionizing communication and learning. From the Asian viewpoint, Europe's ascent was less a product of innate ingenuity and more a matter of historical luck and Asian complacency.

Narrator: The new Asian system is not confined to East and Southeast Asia. A "Greater Asia" is re-emerging, pulling in countries and regions that were once considered peripheral or oriented toward the West.

Russia is a prime example. Facing Western sanctions and political isolation, Russia has executed a strategic "pivot to the East." It is now a pillar of the Asian system, with China replacing Germany as its largest trade partner. This partnership is not just economic; it's strategic. In 2018, China’s defense chief visited Moscow to "let the Americans know about the close ties between the armed forces of China and Russia."

Turkey is on a similar path. Politically rejected by Europe, it is turning eastward, leveraging its cultural ties to Central Asia and its strategic geography. In a move that stunned Western strategists, Turkey, a NATO member, purchased a Russian missile defense system in 2017, signaling its growing independence. Even the Middle East, long considered a Western sphere of influence, is looking east. At the 2018 Iraq Reconstruction Conference, the United States offered a mere $3 billion in credit lines, while Asian and multilateral donors pledged $30 billion.

Narrator: The economic engine driving this new world order is not a carbon copy of Western free-market capitalism. Instead, "Asia-nomics" is a unique blend of state-guided capitalism, industrial policy, and a focus on societal well-being and stability. This model prioritizes inclusive development over the pure profit motive.

This system is becoming increasingly self-sufficient. Intra-Asian trade, as a share of the continent's total trade, nearly doubled from 29% in 2009 to 57% in 2016, creating a resilient economic bloc less dependent on Western consumers. The Belt and Road Initiative is a perfect example of Asia-nomics in action. Faced with massive overcapacity in its steel industry, China didn't simply shut down factories. Instead, it launched the BRI, a grand strategy to export that excess capacity by financing and building infrastructure across the continent, effectively turning a domestic problem into a tool for regional integration and influence. This new economic confidence is captured by Grab CEO Anthony Tan, who rallied his team against Uber by saying, "There’s this sense of brotherhood, that we’re in this battle together. Let’s show them the power of Asia."

Narrator: In governance, many Asian nations are choosing a different path, one that favors technocracy over Western-style liberal democracy. The book defines the difference starkly: "Politics is about positions, policy about decisions; democracies produce compromises, technocracies produce solutions; democracy suffices, technocracy optimizes."

Singapore stands as the ultimate technocratic role model. Under its founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, the tiny, resource-poor city-state transformed itself into one of the world's wealthiest and best-governed nations. Lee’s government focused relentlessly on pragmatic solutions: enforcing law and order, investing in education, and implementing long-term plans for housing and healthcare. The goal was not ideological purity but maximum governance with minimum government. This approach has yielded high levels of public trust. The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer found that the countries with the highest trust in government were almost all in Asia, including Singapore, China, and India.

Narrator: The rise of Asia is not leading to a "clash of civilizations," but rather a fusion. "Asianization" is now a global force, influencing culture, business, and demographics far beyond the continent's borders.

In the United States, the impact is undeniable. As Khanna states, "It is safe to say that Silicon Valley would not be what it is today without Asians." The contributions of Asian immigrants have been a cornerstone of American technological innovation. In Europe, the port of Duisburg, Germany, has been reborn as the western anchor of the BRI's rail network, a central hub for Eurasian trade.

This fusion is also cultural. Steve Jobs's spiritual quest in India in the 1970s profoundly influenced his design philosophy at Apple, embedding principles of minimalism and simplicity into the DNA of modern technology. This is just one example of how Asian ideas are being adopted and reinterpreted globally, creating a richer, more interconnected world.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Asia First is that the world has entered a multipolar, multicivilizational age. The era of a single, Western-led global order is over. Asia's resurgence is not a hostile takeover but a rebalancing of the global system, restoring a historical equilibrium. This new reality demands a radical shift in perspective from the West—away from a paradigm of containment or competition, and toward one of collaboration and synthesis.

The book leaves us with a powerful final thought. Today, Westerners speak of a "global rules-based order," while Asians, particularly China, prefer the phrase "community of common destiny." Khanna's challenge is for us to see that these are not opposing concepts but two sides of the same coin. The ultimate question for our time is whether we can realize that both the rules and the destiny must be made together.