Books : The Post-American World
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.49
EAN: 9780393062359
ISBN: 039306235X
Label: W. W. Norton
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: May 05, 2008
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Sales Rank: 163
Studio: W. W. Norton
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A Prophetic Assessment of America's Changing Place in an Increasingly Global Age
For Fareed Zakaria, the great story of our times is not the decline of America but rather the rise of everyone else -- the growth of countries such as China, India, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Kenya, and many, many more. This economic growth is generating a new global landscape where power is shifting and wealth and innovation are bubbling up in unexpected places. It's also producing political confidence and national pride. As these trends continue, the push of globalization will increasingly be joined by the pull of nationalism -- a tension that is likely to define the next decades.
With his customary lucidity, insight, and imagination, Zakaria draws on lessons from the two great power shifts of the past five hundred years -- the rise of the Western world and the rise of the United States -- to tell us what we can expect from the third shift, the "rise of the rest." Washington must begin a serious transformation of global strategy and seek to share power, create coalitions, build legitimacy, and define the global agenda. None of this will be easy for the greatest power the world has ever known -- the only power that for so long has really mattered. But all that is changing now. The future we face is the post-American world.
Amazon.com Review:
Book Description
"This is not a book about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else." So begins Fareed Zakaria's important new work on the era we are now entering. Following on the success of his best-selling The Future of Freedom, Zakaria describes with equal prescience a world in which the United States will no longer dominate the global economy, orchestrate geopolitics, or overwhelm cultures. He sees the "rise of the rest"—the growth of countries like China, India, Brazil, Russia, and many others—as the great story of our time, and one that will reshape the world. The tallest buildings, biggest dams, largest-selling movies, and most advanced cell phones are all being built outside the United States. This economic growth is producing political confidence, national pride, and potentially international problems. How should the United States understand and thrive in this rapidly changing international climate? What does it mean to live in a truly global era? Zakaria answers these questions with his customary lucidity, insight, and imagination.
Thomas Friedman and Fareed Zakaria: Author One-to-One
Fareed Zakaria: Your book is about two things, the climate crisis and also about an American crisis. Why do you link the two? 
Thomas Friedman: You're absolutely right--it is about two things. The book says, America has a problem and the world has a problem. The world's problem is that it's getting hot, flat and crowded and that convergence--that perfect storm--is driving a lot of negative trends. America's problem is that we've lost our way--we've lost our groove as a country. And the basic argument of the book is that we can solve our problem by taking the lead in solving the world's problem.
Zakaria: Explain what you mean by "hot, flat and crowded."
Friedman: There is a convergence of basically three large forces: one is global warming, which has been going on at a very slow pace since the industrial revolution; the second--what I call the flattening of the world--is a metaphor for the rise of middle-class citizens, from China to India to Brazil to Russia to Eastern Europe, who are beginning to consume like Americans. That's a blessing in so many ways--it's a blessing for global stability and for global growth. But it has enormous resource complications, if all these people--whom you've written about in your book, The Post American World--begin to consume like Americans. And lastly, global population growth simply refers to the steady growth of population in general, but at the same time the growth of more and more people able to live this middle-class lifestyle. Between now and 2020, the world's going to add another billion people. And their resource demands--at every level--are going to be enormous. I tell the story in the book how, if we give each one of the next billion people on the planet just one sixty-watt incandescent light bulb, what it will mean: the answer is that it will require about 20 new 500-megawatt coal-burning power plants. That's so they can each turn on just one light bulb!
Zakaria: In my book I talk about the "rise of the rest" and about the reality of how this rise of new powerful economic nations is completely changing the way the world works. Most everyone's efforts have been devoted to Kyoto-like solutions, with the idea of getting western countries to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. But I grew to realize that the West was a sideshow. India and China will build hundreds of coal-fire power plants in the next ten years and the combined carbon dioxide emissions of those new plants alone are five times larger than the savings mandated by the Kyoto accords. What do you do with the Indias and Chinas of the world?
 Friedman: I think there are two approaches. There has to be more understanding of the basic unfairness they feel. They feel like we sat down, had the hors d'oeuvres, ate the entrée, pretty much finished off the dessert, invited them for tea and coffee and then said, "Let's split the bill." So I understand the big sense of unfairness--they feel that now that they have a chance to grow and reach with large numbers a whole new standard of living, we're basically telling them, "Your growth, and all the emissions it would add, is threatening the world's climate." At the same time, what I say to them--what I said to young Chinese most recently when I was just in China is this: Every time I come to China, young Chinese say to me, "Mr. Friedman, your country grew dirty for 150 years. Now it's our turn." And I say to them, "Yes, you're absolutely right, it's your turn. Grow as dirty as you want. Take your time. Because I think we probably just need about five years to invent all the new clean power technologies you're going to need as you choke to death, and we're going to come and sell them to you. And we're going to clean your clock in the next great global industry. So please, take your time. If you want to give us a five-year lead in the next great global industry, I will take five. If you want to give us ten, that would be even better. In other words, I know this is unfair, but I am here to tell you that in a world that's hot, flat and crowded, ET--energy technology--is going to be as big an industry as IT--information technology. Maybe even bigger. And who claims that industry--whose country and whose companies dominate that industry--I think is going to enjoy more national security, more economic security, more economic growth, a healthier population, and greater global respect, for that matter, as well. So you can sit back and say, it's not fair that we have to compete in this new industry, that we should get to grow dirty for a while, or you can do what you did in telecommunications, and that is try to leap-frog us. And that's really what I'm saying to them: this is a great economic opportunity. The game is still open. I want my country to win it--I'm not sure it will.
Zakaria: I'm struck by the point you make about energy technology. In my book I'm pretty optimistic about the United States. But the one area where I'm worried is actually ET. We do fantastically in biotech, we're doing fantastically in nanotechnology. But none of these new technologies have the kind of system-wide effect that information technology did. Energy does. If you want to find the next technological revolution you need to find an industry that transforms everything you do. Biotechnology affects one critical aspect of your day-to-day life, health, but not all of it. But energy--the consumption of energy--affects every human activity in the modern world. Now, my fear is that, of all the industries in the future, that's the one where we're not ahead of the pack. Are we going to run second in this race?
Friedman: Well, I want to ask you that, Fareed. Why do you think we haven't led this industry, which itself has huge technological implications? We have all the secret sauce, all the technological prowess, to lead this industry. Why do you think this is the one area--and it's enormous, it's actually going to dwarf all the others--where we haven't been at the real cutting edge?
Continue reading the Q&A between Thomas Friedman and Fareed Zakaria
Average Rating: 
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RAJESH C. OZA, ANUPAMA R. OZA, and SIDDHARTHA R. OZA
"Growth takes place whenever a challenge evokes a successful response that, in turn, evokes a further and different challenge. We have not found any intrinsic reason why this process should not repeat itself indefinitely, even though a majority of civilizations have failed, as a matter of historical fact."--Arnold J. Toynbee, A Study of History
This piece--co-authored by a middle-aged father, his recently-graduated-from-college daughter, and his college-going son--is a collective engagement with Fareed Zakaria's The Post-American World. The father is anxious about how effectively Americans are utilizing the advantage of world-class universities; the daughter is seeking to address the inequity of unequal access to higher education; and the son is optimistic about his fellow students' prospects in a greener post-American world.
The Post-American World opens with Toynbee's observation that while decline is not inevitable, new and different challenges require new and different responses. Zakaria, like Parag Khanna (whose Second World is also reviewed on Amazon) looks back to Toynbee while looking to the future. But the similarity between the two authors and their worldviews seemingly ends with Toynbee. Unlike Khanna, who coolly suggests that America is in decline, China is ascendant, and the rest of the world is on the sidelines, Zakaria strikes a more balanced and optimistic note.
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The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria is a timely and useful book but the author avoids looking at the causes behind the Rise of the Rest at America's expense. The United States wanted to have too many things in too short a time in the misplaced hope that with its robust and colossal economic, military, political, intellectual might, and vast'intelligence' network, it would always remain an indispensable nation, particularly in the post cold war ambience. In the process, a whole two decades from the end of the cold war was wasted in failed policies and in turning a blind eye to the realities of international history and politics that has characterized all precusrsor great powers in history.
The rise of the rest has rather proved to be a zero-sum game for the United States because the traditional US economic policies of grabbing global markets from a geographically and culturally disadvantaged situation unravelled with the change of international order from protectionism to globalization. My book 'Tracing the Eagle's Orbit' throroughly lays bare the US situation in a lucid way.
However, Dr. Zakaria's suggestion to adjust to the needs of a changing world is at odds with American perception that America can't withstand a situation it can't bear. This book has quite a few illuminating suggestions and is indeed objective and that is why I would recommend the readers to read it.
Gautam Maitra
Author of 'Tracing the Eagle's Orbit: Illuminating ... Read More
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The historical and current events perspective on India and China are very interesting. However, Zakaria seems to be in love with capitalism as the solution for the world. I realize that he did not have a crystal ball when writing the book; however, the current economic situation calls into question the value of capitalism as practiced by the U.S. and imitated by China and India. Yes, this emphasis has helped to raise the economies of these international giants, but as I read the book, I kept feeling that too rosy a picture was being painted about the benefits of pure capitalism and the pursuit of "things." Another reviewer wrote that the book's optimism rang false in this regard, and I agree with this. I would give the book only 3 stars, except that I thought the author included a lot of interesting historical and foreign affairs content that made the book worth reading.
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I read with interest this morning a article in the Wall Street Journal where Senior White House military officials believe that engaging in some level of discussion with the Taliban could help stabilize Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. This is a major policy shift and one that is in line with my most recent reading by Fareed Zakaria titled the Post-American World. The book is full of opinion backed up with some facts and figures. His insight and cultural understanding provides and excellent addition to Globalization 50+ years from now.
Overview
The push of technology and economics is driving the world to integrate to engage in the opportunity of globalization at the same time globalization is driving immense cultural change and power shifts. The US has enjoyed since the fall of the Soviet Union a position in history that is unparalleled in growth, prosperity and influence. What may be seen as the dividend of wealth for those that understand the ideology of the free market and the value of democracy, will need to evolve into a world of where power and influence is brokered and earned not an inherited right.
Zakaria asserts that what we are seeing is not the fall of the US, but the rise of the rest. He asserts that the same way that Britain gave way to the US and joined the new team, the new world order which is underway requires the US to embrace its evolving role in this order. Power is shifting from Nation/States (only 100 years old) to powerful ... Read More
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Reviewed By Stephen J. Hage SteveH9697@aol.com
In this book Fareed Zakaria paints crystalline images that reveal not only how the world is changing but also why.
For decades, after World War II, the United States enjoyed political, economic, ideological and social hegemony on a global scale. And, for the most part, even though a hegemon, it was viewed as benevolent.
Today, there is much talk and hand wringing about declining American prestige and power in most if not all of the areas mentioned above. Viewed through that particular lens, the situation is dire and spiraling quickly downward. Fareed Zakaria sees the situation differently. What he sees happening is "The Rise of the Rest." He makes his point by asking to consider this:
"Look around. The tallest building in the world is now in Taipei, and it will soon be overtaken by one being built in Dubai. The world's richest man is Mexican, and its largest publicly traded corporation is Chinese. The world's biggest plane is built in Russia and Ukraine, its leading refinery is under construction in India, and its largest factories are all in China. By many measures, London is becoming the leading financial center and the United Arab Emirates is home to the most richly endowed investment fund. Once quintessentially American icons have been appropriated by foreigners."
All this is from pages 2 and 3 of chapter 1. And while, in isolation, the quote appears blatantly alarmist ... Read More
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