James Crabtree is a geopolitical analyst and author, with extensive experience living and working in Asia. He is currently a distinguished visiting fellow in the Asia programme of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, a non-resident distinguished fellow at the Asia Society in New York, and a columnist... Read more
James Crabtree is a geopolitical analyst and author, with extensive experience living and working in Asia. He is currently a distinguished visiting fellow in the Asia programme of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, a non-resident distinguished fellow at the Asia Society in New York, and a columnist for Foreign Policy magazine. His first book “The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age”, was short-listed as FT / McKinsey business book of the year and named an Amazon book of the year. He is currently writing his second book, provisionally entitled The Perimeter, examining the future of America’s military presence in Asia, due to be published in 2026 by W. W. Norton & Company.
Previously, James Crabtree was the Singapore-based Executive Director of the Institute of International Strategic Studies in Asia, where he led the organisation of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, and an Associate Professor in Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School, Asia’s leading school of public policy. Prior to that James spent ten years as a journalist and foreign correspondent, notably for the Financial Times, where he was both Mumbai Bureau Chief and Comment Editor. He writes for a range of global publications from the FT to The New York Times. Before moving abroad he worked as a senior advisor in the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, under Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. He has also worked for various think tanks in London and Washington DC, and spent a number of years living in America, initially as a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
The return of President Donald Trump has underscored a new world of fragmented, competing power centers with different visions of global order. Regional wars, economic nationalism, and technological competition are reshaping alliances and creating new fault lines. James’s talk will illustrate how this disorder creates both new risks and strategic...
The relationship between the world’s two largest economies has evolved from engagement to strategic rivalry across economic, technological, and military domains. This competition is forcing countries worldwide to navigate increasingly complex choices about trade relationships, technology standards, and security arrangements. Drawing on more than a decade in Asia watching this...
The integration of global markets is giving way to fragmented economic blocs organized around security concerns and technological ecosystems. Companies must now navigate multiple regulatory regimes, supply chain vulnerabilities, and geopolitical risks in their strategic planning. James will explain strategic approaches for organizations seeking to build resilience while finding advantage...
In the aftermath of conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere, nations are increasingly leveraging financial systems, supply chains, and market access as tools of strategic competition and coercion. Critical resources, from semiconductors to rare earth minerals, have become pawns in a global chess game of economic statecraft. James will explain how...
Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and synthetic biology are creating new dimensions of state power and competition. The race for technological advantage is blurring traditional boundaries between public and private sectors while raising profound questions about governance. James will describe how technological leadership is becoming the defining factor...
Beyond China and India, the diverse economies of Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Pacific are emerging as critical theaters in great power competition and global supply chains. These regions offer distinctive opportunities in manufacturing, resources, and services while presenting unique governance and development challenges. James will explore how these...