Book Review of Fareed Zakaria's The Post-American World, By JP Salazar

Overview

                In The Post-American World, author Fareed Zakaria describes the development and evolution of the economic and political atmosphere worldwide. He describes how America rose to become the economic, political, and military leader of the world, and how recent developments have begun to erode that position of power. Zakaria goes on to describe the implications that this transition will have on the global balance of power as well as how it can potentially affect the lives of Americans here at home.

               

                Fareed Zakaria is the current editor of Newsweek International, and has a weekly column on international affairs. A native of Mumbai, India, Zakaria first came to America as a young student eager to take advantage of the opportunities he felt were available to him here. While initially enchanted by the possibilities he saw, Zakaria began to criticize the decisions American policy makers were leading the country in. He was disappointed in how America was trying to position itself in the face of economic and cultural change. Throughout his book, The Post-American World, Zakaria identifies many decisions that have put America in an awkward, or even detrimental, position with respect to emerging world powers. While critical of the stance that America has taken in response to change, Zakaria makes sure to deliver suggestions for how to navigate this new economic and political landscape.

Relevance

                Since the end of the Cold War, America has held the distinction as the global economic, political, and military leader. But as Bob Dylan would say, “the times, they are a changing.” The recent economic development of Brazil, China, and India is shifting how power is balanced around the world. Billions of people around the world are being lifted out of poverty, and as a result, are beginning to find their voice. Countries that have traditionally not been players on a world stage are now beginning to challenge the status quo. No longer does America have the clear distinction of being the singular great superpower. And as the world changes, the decisions and stances that America makes in response can have lasting effects on the economic and political structure both here at home and globally. As Zakaria puts it, “at the politico-military level, we remain in a single superpower world. Bu tin every other dimension… the distribution of power is shifting, moving from American dominance.”

               

                The Post-American World is an excellent tool to help people understand how the global economic and political landscape has shifted over time and to get a better view of what America’s place has been in it. It does a fantastic job of illustrating how things will continue to change and provide suggestions for how America can continue to be a global leader. It is important that people understand that change will happen regardless of whether we want it to or not. What matters is how we, as a country, respond to this new balance of power. In essence, there is going to be a shift of power from the haves to the have-nots. From an American point of view, this can be very dangerous as America traditionally has nowhere to go but down. Zakaria asks that we view this shift in power a different way. Instead of seeing this as something to fear, he describes it as a challenge and an opportunity for America to reestablish itself as an innovator and leader on the global stage.

Where Zakaria Excels

                Overall, Zakaria’s book is extremely well written. He is able to communicate a relatively abstract idea of a post-American world in a way that is relatable and east to understand. His style is rather informal, and he is capable of presenting factual evidence in a way that is both relevant and powerful. In comparison with the other two books we have reviewed this year, The Post-American World is able to combine the best elements from each. Zakaria’s style is as approachable and inviting as James Fallows’ Postcards from Tomorrow Square, while as detailed and in depth as Suzan Shirk’s China: Fragile Superpower. Zakaria’s approachable and understandable style made The Post-American World a relatively easy read while still providing the reader with loads of information and suggestions about what America’s place will be in this new political-economic landscape.

               

                In The Post-American World, Zakaria is able to identify problems with the American viewpoint on its global positioning. He identifies a very important question: Does America have the ability to recognize its own decline in global position and the determination to respond to this situation and remain a global power? Where Zakaria really shines is in his ability to provide suggestions for how America can respond and what stance it should try to take in this new paradigm. According to Zakaria, one of the leading problems facing American society is the apparent contradictory nature of American viewpoints and actions. For example, the US has been leading the move towards globalization, but now that it is beginning to take hold we are turning our backs on the process as the results are not what we intended. “Just as the world is opening up, America is closing down.” In order for America to remain a major player on the world stage it needs to address this issue. America cannot stop these changes from taking place, and it only hurts their position globally to try and curb or ignore the signs. The problem that America needs to address is exactly how they will fit into this new power balance. There is an opportunity for America to tackle this issue head on and be proactive in shaping its future role. However, the longer America delays in addressing this issue, the more the rest of the world will develop and begin to carve out its own seat of power, independent of the United States.

               

                One issue that I think Zakaria really identifies well is the concept of foreign perceptions of the United States and their implications, especially in reference to Islam. Here in the US, there has been a growing resentment towards Islam ever since the attacks on 9/11. While this trend has subsided in recent years, there is still a thought that all Islamist are alike and they all have the same view of America, that of an evil imperialistic power. But Zakaria does an excellent job of debunking this concept. Just like in America, there are conservatives and radicals within the Islamic community. He states that “some Western leaders speak of a single worldwide Islamist movement – absurdly lumping together Chechen separatists in Russia, Pakistani backed militants in India, Shiite warlords in Lebanon, and Sunni Jihadist in Egypt.” But by doing this, we are giving them power. If we can identify these groups for what they really are, “small, local gangs of misfits hoping to attack attention through nihilism and barbarism,” it would rob them of their claim to represent Islam. Once we recognize that these militant groups are a minority and not the apocalyptic threat they have been made out to be, we can begin to recognize the diversity in the Islamic world and their viewpoints on America. What is surprising to find out is that a majority of the people we see as being a threat don’t really care as much as we thought they did. According to Zakaria, “The world is moving from anger to indifference, from Anti-American to Post-American.” On a side note, I found a related comment made by Bill Chillingsworth very interesting on our class trip to the Port of LA. He stated that he is a registered Republican, but voted for Obama because of the foreign perception of the political system here in the United States. He said that as an international businessman, perceptions about your values and your country’s political agenda play a major role in getting business done. I found it interesting that the effect of foreign perceptions are at play on a much smaller scale than global political and economic power balance. It is telling how important these perceptions can be on a global stage when individuals feel the need to address these issues on their own.

Where Zakaria Falls Short

                Overall, I did not have many criticisms of Zakaria’s The Post-American World. However, I do feel that the author’s tone was a little too opinionated of my liking. To be fair, the author makes no excuses for himself and is very direct in providing his opinions on America and its values. However, I honestly feel that they author takes an overly critical view of American policy. By his own account, Zakaria came to America full of hope and optimism. But through his experiences here in the United States, and his view on the policies enacted by our government, I think he has become a cynic of sorts. While he makes no claims that his book represents an unbiased view of the global economic and political atmosphere, there were certain opinions that I felt were politically or culturally driven. While I might agree that the Bush administration caused quite a bit of harm to the perceptions of America in this post-American world, I felt some of the comments were pointed and unnecessary over the course of the book. Many of Zakaria’s comments throughout seem rather personal and detracted from the overall message. These personal opinions and attacks seem out of place and petty within the context of this rather high-level and conceptual book.

Closing Thoughts

                I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the developing global economic and political landscape that America is facing in the near future. The changes in global attitudes and political positioning will have an effect on everyone both within America and around the world. It is naive to think that America can manage this change through flexing its own political muscle. The Post-American World does an excellent job of highlighting the issues that Americans will be facing due to this shift in power and describing their implication. Failure to respond to these problems can have disastrous effects on the future well being of America. Zakaria does a fantastic job of relating these issues to the average American and leaves the reader with a feeling of optimism for the future by describing how America can shape its role in the post-American world.