I enjoyed this well-written forecast of the future. Zakaria is persuasive as he describes the "rise of the rest," particularly China and India. His optimism seems a little overdone. Written just as the economy was going in the tank, he certainly didn't foresee the depth and breadth of the recession. On the domestic front, Zakaria is also too sanguine about the problem of American debt. I think he's mistaken when he argues that the checks and balances established by the founders hamstring us and prevent us from solving our 21st century problems. Zakaria thinks that a parliamentary structure's agility is better suited to break today's gridlock. He may be right, but that agility is also more likely to lead to bigger government making bigger mistakes.

Zakaria is more convincing when he argues that the "rise of the rest" is inevitable, that it's good for the rest of the world, and that it doesn't have to be bad for us Americans. But, we'll need to adjust our worldview, become more collaborative, and realize that just maybe "the rest" are deserving of their chance to prosper also.