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| The Post-American World | 
 enlarge | Author: Fareed Zakaria
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  153 reviews
Sales Rank: 142
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 039306235X
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.49
EAN: 9780393062359
ASIN: 039306235X
Publication Date: May 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Return to a Multipolar World May 15, 2008
58 out of 68 found this review helpful
Fareed Zakaria writes that three great global power shifts have occurred in the last 500 years: the first was the rise of the West with its advances in science, technology, and commerce; the second was the rise of the US, to superpower status after World War II and to hyperpower status after the Cold War; and the third - the one we are currently experiencing - is the "rise of the rest." The global dominance that the US has enjoyed is rapidly coming to an end, not because of its own missteps - there were many - but because of the extraordinary economic growth in countries such as China, India, Russia, and Brazil. Except for a few pockets of poverty, globalization has been largely successful.
The Post-American World points to the need for America to adopt new ways of doing business with the world, one that is based on "consultation, cooperation, and even compromise" as opposed to go-it-alone unilateralism. American success in the 21st century will depend on how these newly ascendant powers will be integrated into existing institutions such as the G8, the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO. Even though some of these countries do not meet Western liberal democratic standards they should not be shut out as Robert Kagan suggested in The Return of History and the End of Dreams.
Integrating autocracies such as China, Russia, and the Central Asian republics in the international liberal order will be one of the greatest challenges in international relations in the years ahead. After all, autocracies have been very successful, producing 7-10% annual growth rates. They produce great investment opportunities for foreigners. And their foreign policy of non-interference with the sovereignty of other countries has made them welcome almost everywhere. This purely pragmatic approach, although successful in economics, has many shortcomings in the political realm. Zakaria believes that although they have been successful and even popular, it is important for Western democracies to have solidarity to prevent further backsliding.
Economic growth is only one of the components that keep autocracies in power, another is nationalism. One need only look at the popularity of Putin when he defies the West or China's reaction everytime they feel slighted by foreigners. Nationalism will rise as economic fortunes rise. Zakaria, who is always reasonable and optimistic in his views, believes that nations will be reasonable too. He believes that the newly ascendant powers will not be aggressive militarily if they are embedded in the current system. China, for example, does not need to invade neighboring countries when it can buy whatever it needs. For the time being this is working, but what happens "the rest" become much more powerful and resources become even more scarce? Will the the international order hold or will nationalist impulses rule the day? Zakaria is optimistic, but he still believes that the US will have an indispensible roll in keeping this system in place.
 Certainly not scholarly... September 20, 2008
39 out of 52 found this review helpful
So the world is changing and all nations and non-governmental organizations will have new roles to play in the future. Don't we already know that? Isn't that why we take gambles every week in picking up books like this one that, outwardly, appear to offer some enrichment in our understanding? Zakaria, the master of assertions, outdoes himself in this work. He commonly asserts as facts statements of HIS opinion that are questionable. No need to itemize them. Open the book to any page and there'll be 1 or 2. When Zakaria has taken the time to "document" some of his opinions, he uses sources that, when researched, certainly seem unqualified to this reader. Example given: Steven Pinker, a psychologist whose work has been in the area of speech and language, is cited as a reference for the history of world peace. (??) And the list goes on.
Zakaria, never one to sell himself short, tells us in the book's "Acknowledgments" that it is the outgrowth of "...much travel, reading and reflection...". What a worldly guy! I personally think Mr. Zakaria would have better served his prospective readers by taking a few trips to his local library before trying to approach his subject. I, for one, don't frankly care what his personal experiences have been. Given his "Newsweek" mindset, there is no way his experiences are likely to mean the same thing to me as they did to him.
When I want to learn about a topic as important as the world's future, I'd like to get a broad spectrum of perspectives and then let the author, if he/she chooses to do so, take me down whatever narrow path he wants me to follow.
I understand that my comments are mine only. Potential readers of this book likewise need to understand that, given the lack of scholarly work applied to this book, it is also the opinion of only one person also--the author's.
Are you kidding? May 15, 2008
36 out of 162 found this review helpful
Too much beating around the bush to finally arrive at Mr. Fareed Zakaria's central point: India, China and the rest - rising powers; United States not any longer. No great surprise, the author happens to be an Indian, explaining his unquestionable objectivity.
Consider the following: United States no longer has the tallest building, the longest bridge, and the biggest dam. I forgot to mention that only one of America's shopping malls even made the top ten of the world's largest shopping malls. That's some "hard" evidence pointing to the decline of America in increasingly global world. And yes, Bollywood - the entertainment power house that helps Indians develop a new sense of national pride. Are you kidding me?! It's a very, very sad story!
Nonsense May 27, 2008
31 out of 94 found this review helpful
In writing as if American decline were a fait accompli, Zakaria engages more in wishful thinking than in principled analysis (of which he, ever eager for acclaim and influence, seems constitutionally incapable). So long as men exist who cherish freedom and individual rights and will defend them unto death, America will always lead the world, morally and politically, if not economically. What was true in 1776 holds true today: America, founded on the rights of a sovereign people to pursue their own happiness apart from State or Religion, is the last, best hope of earth. If Zakaria had a deeper respect for his adopted homeland, he would stop being the crusader boy for national self-deprecation and attempt a genuine contribution to political thought. Alas, from this Harvard Ph.D. we get only a hash of warmed-over Newsweek magazine articles.
Good..BUT.......................................................... May 2, 2008
30 out of 96 found this review helpful
Zakaria has written a nice book, based upon his somewhat limited perspective. For this oversight, I cannot rate the book higher than 4 stars. While he did provide some interesting insights, he failed to give a full picture of the forces in motion that will most certainly continue to destroy America as we know it.
Zakaria sees globalization as a huge improvement for all people throughout the globe. In this regard, it appears that he is thinking more of the people of Shri Lanka or Haiti, rather than more developed nations. Certainly, those in impoverished nations stand to benefit from this globalization trend. They have little to lose. But for much of the developed world such as America, Canada, Europe, Japan, and the UK, this trend promises to strengthen the 2-class trends we see today.
As globalization strengthens, so will the momentum towards one world government, as seen in Orwell's 1984. This has already happened with the formation of the European Union. Forcing EU laws upon all participant nations is causing many societal and economic problems. In the USA, we are seeing the early stages of plans for the North American Union.
Can you not see how corporations have seized America? Can you not see how they control life and death? Look at gas prices, look at food prices. Understand that corporatization is a strategy that is consistent with globalization. Mega-corporations are partners with their respective national governing bodies.
While globalization might make goods and services more efficient, it will also operate under one power. You wont have a choice to leave if you don't like how you are being governed because every nation will be run the same way. Without individuality and freedom, we all become slaves who will answer to the government.
Preserving each nation's sovereignty is vital. Combining the world into one economic, political, and judicial system will be disastrous and it will surely enslave everyone but the wealthy elite.
In conclusion, as a stand alone the book is a nice read and offers a very optimistic look at the effects of globalization. But what it lacks is a full perspective. I would highly recommend as companions to this book, the following:
This no non-sense, data-backed look at America has already successfully predicted the current economic turmoil, with more to come
America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression (Condensed Edition)
Hard-hitting, straight-mouthed views from a man who isn't that stupid afterall (despite being a former wrestler)
Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!
All About the forces behind the New World Order, otherwise known as globalization
The True Story of the Bilderberg Group
If you read these books along with Zakaria's, you will have a full perspective to determine whether the benefits of globalization are worth the risks.
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