In his timely new book, Easternisation, Gideon Rachman articulates a clear and persuasive idea: that recent western exertions in the Middle East, the crises that grab the headlines and consume the energies of world leaders, will be seen in the arc of history as something of a sideshow, a secondary plotline that will ultimately be obscured by the rise of Asia, with its humming factories, inexhaustible innovation and competitive spirit.

In his quest to capture this dramatic reorientation of global power — one that is now fully under way — Rachman, the FT’s chief foreign affairs commentator, takes us seamlessly from one Asian capital to the next, and across the world to Washington and London. Along the way, he introduces readers to the key leaders, thinkers and innovators in this overarching drama, weaving their stories into an elaborate, vivid story. We learn from an influential Chinese strategic thinker contemplating Beijing’s global priorities; a Japanese academic who specialises in Asia’s complex history; a wizened Singaporean financier with decades of market experience; an Indian manufacturer striving to compete against south-east Asian competitors; and many others who bring keen insights and rich detail to Rachman’s account.

They will also learn from Rachman himself, who brings an impressionistic narrative into sharp focus with his own analysis. His deft use of historical allusion matches his fluency in the contemporary policy debates that reverberate around Asian capitals, and he engages with the ideas of Henry Kissinger, Joseph Nye and other prominent writers on the Asian Century about how to measure the region’s rapid rise.