The Post-American World

by Fareed Zakaria

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1,063 ratings, 3.87 average rating, 342 reviews (more data...)

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5		23%
4		46%
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2		5%
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published

May 5th 2008 by W. W. Norton

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Hardcover, 288 pages

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039306235X (isbn13: 9780393062359)

description

One of our most distinguished thinkers argues that the "rise of the rest" is the great story of our time.

"This is not a book about the ...more

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07/24/08

Dalebrayden rated it:

bookshelves: nonfiction, politics

Read in August, 2008

I'll say at the outset that I like Fareed Zakaria. He's articulate, reasonable, moderate, and optimistic. And he is the successor to George Kennan and Zbigniew Brzezinski in the role of theorist for US corporate imperialism. I will not be surprised if he gets an appointment in the upcoming Obama administration as, for example, Assistant Deputy Director of strategic Analysis for the State Department.

Zakaria takes it as an obvious given that the era of US hegemony is drawing to a close...more I'll say at the outset that I like Fareed Zakaria. He's articulate, reasonable, moderate, and optimistic. And he is the successor to George Kennan and Zbigniew Brzezinski in the role of theorist for US corporate imperialism. I will not be surprised if he gets an appointment in the upcoming Obama administration as, for example, Assistant Deputy Director of strategic Analysis for the State Department.

Zakaria takes it as an obvious given that the era of US hegemony is drawing to a close. The US will be overtaken as the world's largest market by 2040, according to Goldman Sachs (and we have no reason in this case to believe that they are wrong), and we have already lost our position as the leader in technology and manufacturing. But, don't worry, the US still has a role to play, and can even thrive in the new multipolar world; we just have to make some 'adjustments'.

Zakaria claims that the US has been a liberalizing and modernizing force, striving always to bring the virtues of democracy and liberal market economies to the world. And this is where the fundamental flaws in Zakaria's analysis are most obvious. Zakaria continues the western intellectual tradition of portraying history as the interplay of nations, ignoring the class structure within those nations. To claim that the US strives for democracy is contradicted by the facts - in fact there is a high correlation between US support for foreign states and the incidence of human rights violations in those states. Iran 1954, Chile 1973, Nicaragua 1935, 1950s, and 1980s, South Vietnam in the 1960s, Guatemala and Honduras in the 1980s, ongoing support for Saudi Arabia, financial and military support for Saddam Hussein throughout the 1980s, the propaganda attacks on Venezuela today - all these are the counter-examples that Zakaria passes silently by. The theory that the US now and in the past has worked for democracy is simply false. An alternative theory, that the US government works at all times and in all ways to advance the interests of US corporations (and now international corporations) fits the facts much more closely and without the obvious and embarrassing counter-examples.

Trade policy, the tail that wags the foreign policy dog, is equally poorly treated by Zakaria's flawed theory of history. He claims, apparently without irony, that the US has worked tirelessly to teach developing countries the virtues of 'free trade'. But to sustain this argument one must ignore the fact that 'free trade' for the US has always meant that developing countries must give up their indigenous farming and industry in order to form a cadre of virtual slave labor for whatever enterprise is desired by US corporations, whether that enterprise is industrial or agricultural in nature. And, of course, it means that whatever natural resources the developing country has must belong to those US corporations. Any country that sees such an arrangement as unjust, Venezuela for example, is attacked bitterly by intellectuals like Zakaria. Nowhere does Zakaria admit the possibility that US trade agreements are not in the interest of US workers or of workers in the other countries. He can't admit this possibility because class plays no part in his analysis or in his thinking.

Sadly, as likable as Zakaria is, he has written a worthless book, another in a long line of theoretical tracts by ruling class intellectuals. If you want to understand the world in a more consistent way, in a way more consistent with reality, read Chomsky.

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09/11/08

Eamonn Gormley rated it:

Read in September, 2008

This is the kind of work that makes a body wish President Bush would read books. The author's point is that diplomacy is America's strength, and it should be used first with force held as a last resort, especially in a world where the US is not the only superpower anymore due to the growing influence of countries in the developing world.

'The Rise of the Rest' is what Mr Zakaria uses to refer to the economic and political growth in developing countries, principally (but not limited t...more This is the kind of work that makes a body wish President Bush would read books. The author's point is that diplomacy is America's strength, and it should be used first with force held as a last resort, especially in a world where the US is not the only superpower anymore due to the growing influence of countries in the developing world.

'The Rise of the Rest' is what Mr Zakaria uses to refer to the economic and political growth in developing countries, principally (but not limited to) India and China. Globalization and the opening of international trade has generated great improvements in living standards lifting many millions of people out of poverty across the globe. India and China have been most noticeable because of their sheer size, accounting for over a sixth of the human race between them. India's and China's stories are, of course, slightly different. China has a lot of advantages (from their government's point of view) in that they can ride roughshod over the wishes of its people in the interests of achieving economic goals, whereas in democratic countries such as the UK, people have more freedom to object to development that will adversely affect their standard of living or property values. A proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport meets many obstacles in the form of objections from local residents, whereas in China it's possible for the government to just build an entire airport and sweep anyone out of the way who gets in it. India also has similar checks and balances as Western countries in that great public works projects are subject to objection from local people, and so their growth isn't quite at the same breathtaking pace as China's, but it is still impressive nonetheless.

However strong their performance on the economic stage, it will be a long time before China or India reach the same levels of domination as the US has today. Nor do they seem to want to. China certainly has no interest in becoming the world's policeman. Ending centuries of self-imposed isolation, China's main interest for now is in securing its own borders, reining in runaway regions, and protecting its own interests. Similarly, India is more interested in continuing to build its own prosperity than imposing its own democratic values on the rest of the world. The USA is likely to remain the only major power wishing to export its values as well as its goods.

While international political structures are useful, some of them, like the UN Security Council, are hopelessly out of date. Japan and Germany are among the world's biggest economic powers but still don't have permanent seats on the council just because they were on the losing side in the second world war. Nevertheless, the USA remains the power that people go to in search of a diplomatic solution to international disputes, and that is likely to remain the case for quite some time.

Zakaria goes on to discuss the complexities of nuclear proliferation and to make suggestions on how to deal with this and other problems. The Iraq war is touched upon, remarking on how it is sign of America's unchecked power that it was able to launch an unprovoked war on Iraq and dupe other countries into helping it. The author approves of the end result of ousting of Saddam Hussein, but disapproves of the botched post-invasion occupation and the sheer incompetence of it.

The overall tone is non-partisan and contains none of the childish and heated conservative/liberal bombast that pollutes so much of the bookshelves these days. This writer doesn't fall neatly into the liberal/conservative pigeonholes that some commentators seem determined to push everyone into. The facts are there, the bibliography is extensive, and the case is made very well. If only work of this caliber were more widely read.(less)

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10/23/08

Sally rated it:

bookshelves: not-for-everybody, to-buy

Read in February, 2009

I finished this last night and I must say that although it starts off strong I grew very weary. Zakaria could have accomplished the same purpose with a feature in a magazine, in 2000 words. I'm glad I read it, I'm working on broadening my perspective, and there is much about the international finance world I never even began to imagine. It never hurts to be told something more than once - just around time eight or ten I grow weary. Good stuff, though. Time not wasted.

1/30: So fa...more

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06/17/08

Matthew Dodson rated it:

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: Those who detest fear

Fareed Zakaria's new book, "The Post-American World," shines a bright light on the hand-wringing and defeatist lies about the state of America that are used by neo-conservatives and anti-globalist leftists to support their radical positions by infusing Americans with fear. Indeed, Mr. Zakaria decisively shows that America is the sole ideological superpower in a world that has wholesale adopted our culture and economic values. We are now witnessing a global transformation that is the re...more Fareed Zakaria's new book, "The Post-American World," shines a bright light on the hand-wringing and defeatist lies about the state of America that are used by neo-conservatives and anti-globalist leftists to support their radical positions by infusing Americans with fear. Indeed, Mr. Zakaria decisively shows that America is the sole ideological superpower in a world that has wholesale adopted our culture and economic values. We are now witnessing a global transformation that is the result of the most dramatic export of culture in the history of the world. We won.

Mr. Zakaria was born in Mumbai, India and attended Yale University, where he was tapped for the elite senior fraternity Scroll and Key, a club whose members included my former boss Bobby Shriver and his father Sargent. He is currently the editor at Newsweek and is considered a moderate realist. His writings promote his vision of a world that moves towards liberal democratic societies with free markets. His latest book makes a persuasive case that the world is moving in the right direction, that the world is less violent than anytime in human history and that United States should utilize its strengths to keep a strong position in the world while realizing that a multi-polar world is at hand in the coming decades.

Mr. Zakaria notes that most nation-states are transforming their societies into relatively open societies that mimic the Anglo-American classical liberal philosophy and are aggressively implemented free market principles. The transformation is paying off and vast swaths of humanity are rising out of poverty and mimicking our consumer oriented economy. America is not declining. The rest of the world is rising.

Instead of pissing our pants in fear, we need to accept the fact that the world is becoming more like us and, as a result, nations like China, India, Russia, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia will capture a larger share of the world's economic pie. This transformation is a sign that we won the idealogical war. Mr. Zakaria argues that it is in America's interest to take a collaborative approach to foreign policy that restores a sense of respect (instead of fear) to the growing economic nations. He advises that America should look more to a Bismarkian foreign policy that ensures every nation has better relations with us than any other competitors. Instead, we have spent the last eight years buying into the imperialist mindset of 19th Century Britain that operates by fiat.

Finally, Mr. Zakaria notes that America is not the lost cause that naysayers seem to portray. Our higher education system is the greatest in the world, by many magnitudes. Further, the conventional wisdom is that our elementary and high schools are dismal. In fact, America's educational system produces graduates who are less adept at rote memorization but with creative thinking skills that enable American workers to innovate and adapt far quicker than our Asian and European competitors. The problem is not quality but access for more young Americans. According to Mr. Zakaria, America is a successful economic power. Our weakness lies in our political system that is unable to make relatively minor changes that will strengthen our position of power (e.g., health care and retirement funding).

I hope that thinking Americans will read "The Post-American World" and that right and left-wing fear-mongering will release its hold on our still great nation.(less)

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06/09/08

Raghu rated it:

Read in June, 2008

This is an important and optimistic book about America and its future. While it is fashionable now to predict gloom about America's future as an economic and political power and over emphasise the rise of China and other powers, Zakaria brings a balance thru his analysis and says that there is no need to push the panic button. On the contrary, he shows the many positives about America as well as the world today. For example, in spite of the terrorism and violence, he shows that the past 20 years...more This is an important and optimistic book about America and its future. While it is fashionable now to predict gloom about America's future as an economic and political power and over emphasise the rise of China and other powers, Zakaria brings a balance thru his analysis and says that there is no need to push the panic button. On the contrary, he shows the many positives about America as well as the world today. For example, in spite of the terrorism and violence, he shows that the past 20 years have been some of the most 'peaceful' - relatively - period of the world.
The main theme of the book is that the US is not in decline but that 'others are rising'. And that is actually for the good and that it is the result of the active spread of globalization that the US championed. Zakaria advances a good deal of statistics and analysis to back his contention.
He also advances his contention that the Chinese political leadership is circumspect and moderate in the sense that it wants to rise peacefully rather than aggressively. This is a contention that is probably more his belief than a forcefully argued conclusion. The author cites examples of other Asian countries becoming democratic as a result of their crossing the threshold of $5000 in per capita GDP. China is currently at $2500 but he does not speculate whether the same will happen with China.
However, he feels that the political system in the US is not keeping pace with the changes that are needed. He says: "As it enters the 21st century, the US is not fundamentally a weak economy or decadent society. But its politics is highly dysfunctional.The political system is antiquated and is captured by money, special interests and a sensational media."
Zakaria says that the changes in the political system, if at all any, have not kept pace with the needs, ambitions and goals to be the leading nation in the world. In this sphere, Zakaria seems to accept what seems to be apparent to everyone. Whereas on the economic or cultural front, Zakaria digs deeper and shows that what seems to meet the eye at first glance is not the reality but that the reality is actually more positive and hopeful. Is the same thing possible even about the political system if one digs deeper and find that the political system, even though it may not be ideal, is probably keeping pace with the needed changes? He talks at length about Indian democracy. After all, the political system in India started out differently after independence in 1947 but one saw that gradually, the politicians in a democratic set up gradually saw the writing on the wall and changed to accommodate reality. One can see how the systems in the neighbouring countries in the Indian subcontinent refused to change with the times and paid the price or still keep paying the price.
He also draws upon the decline of Britain as a superpower. He says that despite some eerie parallels between the position of the United States today and that of the British Empire a century ago, there are key differences. Britain's decline was driven by bad economics. The United States, in contrast, has the strength and dynamism to continue shaping the world -- but only if it can overcome its political dysfunction and reorient U.S. policy for a world defined by the rise of other powers.
It is a book that brings much for discussion and is well-researched. I enjoyed reading it and found it thought provoking.
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06/12/08

Tripp rated it:

Fareed Zakaria's new book, the Post-American World is a book I hope both presidential candidates read. It is a brief book that tells Americans we need to re-think our view of the world. We need to jettison the idea of the world's policeman and hyperpower and replace it with the world's trusted third party. In this his says we need to be less Britain than Bismarck, which I rather like. We need to de-emphasize military power and re-consider economic competitiveness. We need to spend less time worr...more

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12/29/08

Nat rated it:

Read in December, 2008

recommends it for: terry burger

Another book by a journalist. Zakaria give you something you don't expect from the title of the book. You might expect it to be simple America-bashing. In fact, it is a gentle warning with suggestions as to how America can continue to be a major player as economic and other power shifts globally in the 21st century. A well-thought-out and well-written book. A must read for anyone interested in the future role that American can play on the global landscape.

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05/25/08

Rob Haas rated it:

bookshelves: philosophy, politics

Read in October, 2008

I only have two chapters left, but this is probably the most timely book on world economics and political dynamics that you can find. It updates a lot of old statistics and misconceptions all while leaving a really nice taste in your mouth for whats to come. I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to know behind whats going on in the world. The author has definitly done his research on culture, history, politics, economics, trade as well as a multitude of other important topics. He thr...more

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07/02/08

Laura rated it:

bookshelves: read---2008

I loved this book! It helps that I read Zakaria's columns in Newsweek all the time and really like his global outlook and the openness and collaboration amongst nations that he promotes. It was also an interesting read - not boring or stuffy like what we had to read in college. I studied both India and China briefly in college, taking poli sci, history, and globalization courses but it was nice to get a 5 year update :)

Whether you'd like to brush up on the current state of world...more

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05/30/08

Dylan rated it:

Read in June, 2008

He defends the book's basic thesis really well, which isn't hard to do. He does a great job with his discussion of history's many narratives, and the placing of America's current situation in historical context. My problem with the book is how drastically Zakaria overvalues GDP and productivity as the value of a country. He never seems to question the construct of world powers, and tends to value countries too much on their global power and too little on how their citizenship is faring. As Jonat...more

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02/26/09

Frank rated it:

Read in February, 2009

I liked what I read in the beginning and felt it would be a good read for certain politicians in Washington to understand a world perspective that goes beyond a very limited American perspective. With that said, I was also surprised and happy that this was not a "blame America" or "bad America" book. I was impressed by Zakaria's ability and fairness to point out the good and the bad of what America means to and has done for the world (culture). On the down side, after having ...more

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06/02/09

Kim rated it:

Read in May, 2009

As the world undergoes a profound power shift, with the U.S. slipping from center stage, Zakaria discusses the implications of the "rise of the rest," primarily India and China (with nods to several other countries). He gives a thoughtful, balanced overview of how this new dynamic will impact global warming and other challenges, stressing that the U.S. must revamp its thinking as we move into this new age.

As always, Zakaria provides historical and cultural context for the ...more

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01/28/09

Becky rated it:

Read in February, 2009

i don't usually read a lot of non-fiction, especially in the political genre, but i've always been pretty into foreign policy ever since i took a course on it in college. this book was a really interesting, if slightly simplistic, look at how the world is evolving away from a unipolar U.S.-dominated system into a diverse, multipolar one, resulting from what zakaria refers to as "the rise of the rest." i really enjoyed the mish-mash of world history, basic economics, cultural lessons, a...more

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04/04/09

Mark rated it:

I gave it two stars because I thought Zakaria's book to be so pro-globalization that it lacked real credibility. Often, his pom-pom waving for a political economy which has created the financial disaster we're living through today puts me in mind of Dinesh D'Souza's essay:
"Two Cheers for Colonialism." I'm put in mind of Lenin's term: the comprador bourgeoisie. In some ways that's unfair to say. In some ways, it's dead on accurate.

It's understandable why he sup...more

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01/06/09

Ruby rated it:

I heard about this book from the John Stewart show. Actually that is one of my favorite things about his show is that it is few of the main stream shows left that have book reviews and authors as regular guests.

I'm half way though, and really enjoying this book. Although the title my sound a little doomsday-ish, really Zakaria's point is that there was a creative, growing, important world before America, and there is a new phase being created now. America is no longer the top of t...more

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12/08/08

Clif Hostetler rated it:

(review of isbn 0743576853)

bookshelves: current-events

Read in December, 2008

The book title suggests that perhaps it's predicting the demise of America. But instead the book is generally optimistic about the future and predicts that other nations will rise in importance relative to the U.S. However, America will continue to be a global player on the international scene.

This book was published in May 2008 prior to the recent meltdown in the financial world. I found myself speculating about what the author would say differently if the book were written aft...more The book title suggests that perhaps it's predicting the demise of America. But instead the book is generally optimistic about the future and predicts that other nations will rise in importance relative to the U.S. However, America will continue to be a global player on the international scene.

This book was published in May 2008 prior to the recent meltdown in the financial world. I found myself speculating about what the author would say differently if the book were written after the current flury of bailouts and the collapse of Lehman Brothers. On page 205 the author says, "New derivatives based on underlying instruments like stock or interst-rate payment are increasingly important ..." He goes on to say that the London financial exchanges sell more derivatives than the New York exchanges with the implication that this is an indication of the strength of the London markets. In think the author would want to word things a little differently today if he had a chance. But still it is my guess that the author would view current conditions as part of expected cycles in the world's economy.

The book covers some of the same ground covered by Friedman's The World Is Flat. Both books spend considerable time discussing the rise of China and India on the world scene. Zakaria's writing is perhaps a bit more subduded and business like than Friedman's book (and perhaps less interesting to read as a result).

I found the parts of the book that are critical of the United States to be the most interesting parts. The following is a quotation from the book I found interesting: "More people will graduate in the United States in 2006 with sports-exercise degrees than electrical-engineering degrees," says General Electric's CEO, Jeffrey Immelt. "So if we want to be the massage capital of the world, we're well on our way."

The book maintains that the American educational sytem is better than many think. Worldwide testing always shows the students from Singapore with top scores in math and science. So Americans might conclude that our schools should be more like theirs. It is interesting to see from the following quotation from the book what the educational officials in Singapore think of the American educational system: "Tharman Shanmugaratnam, until recently Singapore's minister of education, explains the difference between his country's system and America's. "We both have meritocracies," Shanmugaratnam says. "Yours is a talent meritocracy, ours is an exam meritocracy. We know how to train people to take exams. You know how to use people's talents to the fullest. Both are important, but there are some parts of the intellect that we are not able to test well - like creativity, curiosity, a sense of adventure, ambition. Most of all, America has a culture of learning that challenges conventional wisdom, even if it means challenging authority. These are the areas where Singapore must learn from America.""

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06/07/09

DoctorM rated it:

Read in June, 2009

A useful book, though--- like most of Zakaria's writing ---lacking in depth. He makes important points, and ones worth bearing in mind. The global story of the last twenty years has not been one of American decline, but of the "Rise of the Rest", the remarkable economic transformation of India and China and the growth of a world without a single economic or political center. America always favours competition...unless it might have to change its own practices or views to compete. Zakar...more

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04/25/09

Channon rated it:

Read in May, 2009

Thought I'd like this more than I did. Have to admit that it is not my favorite book. I'm no cheerleader for globalization or US market capitalism but I am even less a fan of attempting to manipulate the world into a homogeneous global market with "western" values which I felt a strong undercurrent of throughout the book -- particularly the first half.

Zakaria asserts that Western economics, religion and culture have been dominant forces for over half a millennium. He ...more Thought I'd like this more than I did. Have to admit that it is not my favorite book. I'm no cheerleader for globalization or US market capitalism but I am even less a fan of attempting to manipulate the world into a homogeneous global market with "western" values which I felt a strong undercurrent of throughout the book -- particularly the first half.

Zakaria asserts that Western economics, religion and culture have been dominant forces for over half a millennium. He argues that while the West grew and expanded, the rest of the world lay dormant. Through open market capitalism and globalization, the rest has awaken. With more capital, more human labor and more social and political comfort the sleeping giants of the East have awaken to challenge Western supremacy. Zakaria’s thesis is that these powers are not a threat to the West by merely existing, but rather because they have adopted Western market capitalism while simultaneously rejecting Western assimilation. This does not mean, however, that the US will be relegated to the sidelines of the international world. Zakaria argues that because the US is such a great and exceptional power, it can use its current status to negotiate a new position of power for itself in this new world order.

One of Zakaria’s key assumptions and practically the first half of his book is that the West has always been a great power imparting culture, politics and economics on the rest of the world. He creates a position of status and privilege for the West as an exceptional power that he returns to throughout the book. He argues:

It has become commonplace to say that actually China and India were as rich as the West right up until the 1800s. The dominance of the West, according to this perspective, has been a 200-year blip, and we are now returning to a more normal balance. This statement also implies that the West’s advantages may be largely accidental—the result of “coal and colonies,” that is the discovery of cheap energy source and the domination of the rich lands of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This view, which embraces a multicultural sensibility that denies any special status to the West, has its political advantages. But while it may be politically correct, it is historically incorrect (Zakaria, 52).

The rationale behind history’s supposed error, according to Zakaria, is the incorrect focus on the total size of the Chinese and Indian economies. Zakaria continues to explain away why the West was richer during the 18th and 19th century by clarifying the differences between GDP and GDP per capita but he fails to address the reality and atrocities of colonialism. His entire discussion of Westernization and modernization glosses over the brutality and coercion that are inherently intertwined with these processes. He continues to dance around issues of colonialism and oppressing when he cites a letter from an Indian citizen in Calcutta imploring the British to teach English rather than Sanskrit to the people. The rationale behind mentioning this letter is to argue that while people of the East (and South) may have been subjected to colonial and imperial subjugation – some of them embraced Westernization. This argument is a bit of a logical fallacy, similar to the argument that black Africans sold each other into the Atlantic slave trade. It is meant to divert attention from the centuries of systematic oppression and brutality. Through his silence on the practices and implementation of modernization and Westernization Zakaria seems to be suggesting that the ends of this process justify the means.(less)

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02/04/09

Jody rated it:

Read in February, 2009

I have only recently begun to enjoy reading non-fiction. However this is the first 'political' book I've read that I can remember. Fareed Zakaria (editor of Newsweek Internationl) is one of my favorite guests on Jon Stewart's Daily Show. I find him to be very intelligent and insightful. His book reflects those qualities as well as showcasing his skill as a writer. I particularly appreciated his global view. His view is not that America is declining as a power in the world, but that everyone else...more

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03/24/09

Beth rated it:

Read in March, 2009

Fantastic book. Again, (as per my last book review) it was published in 2008 so how the financial crisis may or may not change what is written is hard to tell.
It is written by a man who is Indian (as in India, not Native American). He grew up in India, came to America to study and stayed. It is nice to have an "outsider's" perspective sometimes.
This book gives a good picture of how the future might shape up. Might. Because of course no ones knows what will happen. Bu...more

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quotes from this book

""We have not noticed how fast the rest has risen. Most of the industrialized world--and a good part of the nonindustrialized world as well--has better cell phone service than the United States. Broadband is faster and cheaper across the industrial world, from Canada to France to Japan, and the United States now stands sixteenth in the world in broadband penetration per capita. Americans are constantly told by their politicians that the only thing we have to learn from other countries' health care systems is to be thankful for ours. Most Americans ignore the fact that a third of the country's public schools are totally dysfunctional (because their children go to the other two-thirds). The American litigation system is now routinely referred to as a huge cost to doing business, but no one dares propose any reform of it. Our mortgage deduction for housing costs a staggering $80 billion a year, and we are told it is crucial to support home ownership, except that Margaret Thatcher eliminated it in Britain, and yet that country has the same rate of home ownership as the United States. We rarely look around and notice other options and alternatives, convinced that "we're number one."" More quotes...