Publications

In a quiet room high in the Himalayas, I sat with a monarch attempting something almost unseen in our time: the peaceful reinvention of a nation. For hours, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck guided me through maps, water tables, demographic curves, and the architectural outlines of a city not yet built but already alive in his imagination. He spoke with the calm force of a man who knows how vulnerable small states can be in an unforgiving century – and how rare it is to have a window in which to shape their destiny.

A recent week of meetings in Vietnam with Communist Party leaders, government officials, and other influential figures reveals how Hanoi views today’s economic and geopolitical challenges, as well as how Washington might reassure the country about its commitment to a deeper U.S.-Vietnam relationship after months of unhelpful friction between the two.