The period of introspection and reflection while compiling this book during the Covid-19 lockdown took me back to the start of my professional journey. When I first arrived in the United Arab Emirates from India in the summer of 2000 with a PhD on the political systems and international relations of the Gulf, an Arab- American joked, “It must have been a very short thesis!”

The world has transformed significantly over last 20 years and is likely to be very different over the next two decades.

From being the ‘window to the world’ for many centuries, Asia made way for the West after the discovery of oil in the region. Modernisation (rural to industrial) thereafter became synonymous with Westernisation (modern ideas and customs). But the success of Japan, China, South Korea, and India, among others, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries helped the process of Easternisation or Asianisation gain currency and encouraged a rediscovery of East-East camaraderie.

Japan, of course, was the poster child of transformation, but its growth model did not have a distinct Asian character. This changed with China's rise. When Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping launched the ‘Reform and Opening’ programme in 1978, China's GDP was merely $150 billion (against the US’ $2.5 trillion). Forty years later, it was an astounding $14 trillion (against the US’ nearly $20 trillion).

In the process of this transformation China has achieved several milestones: become the largest trading country worldwide, with about 130 countries being No.1 trade partners; lifted about 800 million citizens out of poverty; is referred to as the “world's factory”; and manages the largest social security system, with basic old-age pension covering more than 900 million.

South Korea followed suit. From approaching the International Monetary Fund in 1997 for assistance to avoid an external payments crisis, its GDP was ranked 12th in the world in 2019. From being a manpower exporter, it became a technology powerhouse and is among the main drivers of the fourth industrial revolution.

India too rose from an abysmal low. When the Indian prime minister attended the Davos Summit in 1997, India's GDP was $400 billion. In 2018, the prime minister announced in Davos that India's GDP was inching towards $3 trillion and aspiring to hit the $5 trillion mark by 2025.