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I like Fareed Zakaria. I trust his insight, and intellect. I read his column regularly in Newsweek and I’ve heard him speak on issues of foreign affairs. Born and raised in India, now a U.S. citizen. Once managing editor of Foreign Affairs magazine he is now editor of Newsweek Internatinoal. The man is knowledgeable and his experience broad. Which is why I picked up The Post-American World – or as it is more often referred to “The Rise of the Rest” which happens to be the title of the first chapter and is in essence Zakaria’s point. Which is – that the U.S. is not going to be the dominant world force in the very near future. There are too many big giants rising – namely China, India. Sheer size and population alone make them players. But they have entered the modern industrial and technological world (with even more emphasis on the later) and the rapidity with which they are catching up foreshadows a time when they will shoot past the US in almost every economic category. But this is not a doomsday book. Zakaria still says there is an important role for the U.S. to play in the future of the globe. He points to history and to Britain. It was inevitable – given America’s vast land space and resources, that once free of Britain we would overshadow them. A position that accelerated as the British Empire began to collapse and Britain was reduced to only its island home and a few scattering areas of influence. But, says Zakaria, England continued to have a major role in shaping civilized society, in setting standards for law and fairness, humaneness and justice. So too America can continue to be such a force Zakaria believes. Especially if we return to key American values that include a respect for consultation, cooperation and compromise with other nations. Zakaria argues, “that what the world really wants from America is not that it offer a concession on trade here and there but that it affirm its own ideals. That role, as the country that will define universal ideals, remains one that only America can play. America’s soft power, in this sense, is intricately linked to its hard power. But it is the combination of the two that give it a unique role in world affairs.” Zakaria, like many others, feels the Bush years did much damage to this important leadership role. But there is time he hopes to make amends, change tactics, and continue to be an important player in world affairs. It is not Zakaria’s fault that at times I felt the book was already slightly dated. Since publication of the book Barak Obama has been elected and the economic crises threatens our role in the world in new ways. But he lays an important foundation here. Which is why I’m hoping this is one of the books President Obama chooses to read. <back to list |
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