Asian Peace Talks
The 'Asian Peace Talks' is a podcast series brought to you by the Asian Peace Programme (APP), a programme dedicated to putting forth ideas for peace and conflict amelioration in Asia. Hosted by eminent Singaporean intellectual, Kishore Mahbubani, the 'Asian Peace Talks' features interviews with prominent academics, policy practitioners and newsmakers. We will be discussing various regions and causes of conflict across Asia and try to come up with small steps to promote peace and reduce conflict. The APP is housed in the Asia Research Institute (ARI), the National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.
Episodes
Episode 12: Can East Asia reconcile with itself?
Kishore Mahbubani interviews David Kang, the Maria Crutcher Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California and a recognised expert on East Asia. This wide-ranging conversation covers three fraught relationships of East Asia: China-Japan, Japan-South Korea, and South Korea-China; as well as the role of the United States and of North Korea in these relations.
Episode 11: India and its relations with the world
In Episode 11, Kishore Mahbubani interviews Ambassador Shivshankar Menon, one of the most distinguished practitioners and scholars of Indian foreign policy. Kishore and Shivshankar talk about India's relations with the United States, China, Pakistan and ASEAN. India is undergoing a geopolitical churn in trying to balance its relations with the US, China and Russia, even as it seeks to expand
Asian Peace Talks with Kishore Mahbubani: Episode 10. Is a world without the threat of nuclear war possible?
In Episode 10, Kishore Mahbubani interviews Mr Sundeep Waslekar, author of A World without War, on the topic, "Is a world without the threat of nuclear war possible?". The episode covers a wide range of global geopolitics, from the Ukraine conflict to the recent India-Pakistan conflict, as well as nuclear disarmament and proliferation. Sundeep is a practitioner of Track Two diplomacy, in
Episode 9: Kishore Mahbubani and Kanti Bajpai on India's relations with China and Pakistan
After a hiatus, the Asian Peace Talks is back with our 9th episode. For this episode, Kishore Mahbubani speaks to one of the foremost experts on Indian foreign policy, Professor Kanti Bajpai, on India's relations with China and Pakistan. This episode was recorded on May 9, 2025, when the recent India-Pakistan conflict was still on-going. This discussion assumes particular importance, firstly,
Kishore Mahbubani, Trita Parsi, Sarang Shidore: Building a Better International Order
Amid a shifting balance of power and mounting transnational challenges, the international order is evidently in transition. But with the great powers at loggerheads, will the Global South succeed in building a new international order that reflects their interests? And can the “hedging” strategies of Global South states succeed in bridging the divides – both amongst themselves and with others – tha
Episode 8: The China-India Economic Relationship: Prospects for Cooperation
In this episode, Kishore Mahbubani speaks with Girija Pande, Chairman of Apex Avalon Consulting Singapore and former President of Tata Consultancy Services Asia-Pacific. The topic for this episode is the economic relationship between China, currently the world's second largest economy, and India, currently the world's fifth largest economy. What are the contours of this economic relation
What can India do to ensure a more equitable G20?
In this special episode for the Asian Peace Talks, seasoned journalist and veteran interviewer, Jyoti Malhotra, based in New Delhi, India, speaks with Sanjaya Baru, a Distinguished Fellow at the United Service Institution of India, on his essay for APP, "India can still be a bridge to the Global South". This conversation covers the role of India in ensuring a more equitable G20, even as
Episode 7: US-China and US-Asia Relations under the Biden Administration
In this episode, Kishore Mahbubani speaks with Sarang Shidore of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Washington DC, on the trajectory of US-China relations under the Biden Administration, from the perspective of Asia and ASEAN. This discussion covers the changing trajectory of the bilateral relations, how the Biden Administration has been different (if at all) from the Trump administr
Episode 6: India's relations with Pakistan and China in a multipolar world
Kishore Mahbubani speaks to Professor Kanti Bajpai on India's relations with Pakistan and China, and how they can be improved, despite the seemingly intractable nature of their conflicts. The episode also touches on India's relations with the other great powers, Russia, the United States, its role in an increasingly multipolar world, and its stance in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Episode 5: How ASEAN can create peace in Asia
In this episode, Kishore Mahbubani interviews Marty Natalegawa, former foreign minister of Indonesia, and one of ASEAN's most well-known diplomats and scholars, on the importance of ASEAN centrality to Southeast Asia, and how ASEAN can play a constructive role in the time of growing US-China competition in the region.
Safer Together: Why South and Southeast Asia Must Cooperate to Prevent a New Cold War in Asia
In this special episode for the Asian Peace Talks, seasoned journalist and veteran interviewer, Jyoti Malhotra, based in New Delhi, India, speaks with Sarang Shidore (of the Quincy Institute and Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs), on his essay for APP, "Safer Together: Why South and Southeast Asia Must Cooperate to Prevent a New Cold War in Asia". This conversation covers the gr
Episode 4: Perceptions of China within the US body politic: Facts and Misconceptions
A major factor that prevents the US from pursuing greater cooperation with China are the deep and entrenched impressions held by the US body politic, its scholars and policymakers, on China, the Chinese government and its people. Kishore Mahbubani's interview with George Yeo, Singapore's former foreign minister and a keen student of US-China politics, unpacks these speculations and brin
Episode 3: Southeast Asia's quest for a common identity
Southeast Asia is perhaps among the world's most diverse regions. Nearly every major world religion is represented here. Even within countries, the ethnic and linguistic diversity is staggering. Does Southeast Asia have a common identity underlaying all of this diversity? What does a 'Southeast Asian' identity entail? For our 3rd episode of Asian Peace Talks, we have with us the fam
Episode 2: China-Southeast Asia relations: A history of cooperation
China and Southeast Asia have been interacting with each other for nearly 2,000 years now. Theirs is a relationship characterised by extensive maritime trade, transmission of religious ideas, mutual respect, and occasional conflict. To understand what future might hold, and to place the present state of affairs in a larger context, it is imperative that we understand our past and how it has segued
Episode 1: How the Biden Administration can take a fresh approach to Asia
Our first guest is Ambassador Tommy Koh, eminent Singaporean Diplomat, academic and intellectual. Professor Kishore Mahbubani and Ambassador Tommy Koh speak on a range of issues, particularly related to the United States' (US) relations with China, Japan and Southeast Asia, and what the Biden Administration can do to recalibrate them.
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