Westlessness:
Are we headed towards a more diverse global future?
Samir Puri
In demographic, economic, military, and cultural terms, we are hurtling towards a far more diverse global future. Many of our certainties about the present, built on centuries of massive Western global impact, are increasingly fragile. Untold wealth is moving from the West to the East, with nations like India and Indonesia set to reach new heights of growth and confidence. And China continues its ascent to the peak of the economic mountain. But are cracks appearing? And will the Western world, under the aegis of US global military, economic, technological, and cultural power, give up its privileged position willingly?
About the speaker

Dr Samir Puri is Director of Chatham House's new Global Governance and Security Centre. He is a writer, academic, and former UK civil servant. He previously worked for the Foreign Office, including a year working in Ukraine. He was subsequently a lecturer in King’s College London and later a Senior Fellow at IISS-Asia in Singapore. His books include The Great Imperial Hangover: How Empires Have Shaped the World and Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing.
Image: Cover of Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing (Hodder & Stoughton, 2024)
Organised by the Friends of the Museums (FOM) with support from ACM

Asian Civilisations Museum
Asian Civilisations Museum
Westlessness:
Are we headed towards a more diverse global future?
Samir Puri
In demographic, economic, military, and cultural terms, we are hurtling towards a far more diverse global future. Many of our certainties about the present, built on centuries of massive Western global impact, are increasingly fragile. Untold wealth is moving from the West to the East, with nations like India and Indonesia set to reach new heights of growth and confidence. And China continues its ascent to the peak of the economic mountain. But are cracks appearing? And will the Western world, under the aegis of US global military, economic, technological, and cultural power, give up its privileged position willingly?
About the speaker

Dr Samir Puri is Director of Chatham House's new Global Governance and Security Centre. He is a writer, academic, and former UK civil servant. He previously worked for the Foreign Office, including a year working in Ukraine. He was subsequently a lecturer in King’s College London and later a Senior Fellow at IISS-Asia in Singapore. His books include The Great Imperial Hangover: How Empires Have Shaped the World and Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing.
Image: Cover of Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing (Hodder & Stoughton, 2024)
Organised by the Friends of the Museums (FOM) with support from ACM


