The
Post-American World—Fareed Zakaria
Book
Reivew-Amy McDougall
Overview
Fareed Zakaria, and Indian native and American
scholar, utilizes his unique background and multi-cultural perspective to write
his book The Post-American World,
providing a fresh perspective on changing international norms and the overall
power balance on the world stage.
Contrary to the conventional fear that had previously stated that
America was in decline, Zakaria instead proposes that a “rise of the rest”
philosophy more accurately describes the changing international sphere (Page
1). He outlines three tectonic shifts
that have occurred over the last five hundred years including the “Rise of the
West,” the “Rise of the U.S.,” and now the “Rise of the Rest,” and claims that
even though the U.S. has still maintained its hegemonic position on the world
stage, its portion of the metaphorical “pie” of power has relatively diminished
(Pages 1-5).
He
claims that a long time period of stability and U.S. dominance led to outstanding
growth on behalf of the rest. Nations
had no choice but to converge on the U.S. political and economic system and in
the words of Margaret Thatcher, “There [was] no alternative” to the American model
(Page 22). The American option however,
proved to be a successful option that pulled millions out of poverty and led to
one of the most politically secure time periods in history. This led many international relations
theorists to develop the Hegemonic Stability Theory. However, now that more states have become
empowered, Zakaria makes an argument for how the international dynamic is
shifting once again, and what the world must expect in the 21st
Century.
The
Relevance of The Post-American World:
The world has been playing by American rules since
the U.S. came out on top after WWII and prevailed through the Cold War to
become the leading economic and political power. Today a small spat between two nations cannot
go unnoticed by the U.S. and always requires some sort of action on behalf of
the U.S. Like a parent though, whose
teenagers are going through puberty, the U.S. has now realized that nations are
no longer taking the ideals and norms of the U.S. without question. Its teenagers have gotten old enough to
realize they have their own opinions and want to have their own say on their
affairs. This has caused an identity
crisis on the part of the U.S. A
superpower who has grown so used to continual sacrifice in order to maintain
order on the international sphere, the U.S. is now realizing that it has
neglected its own needs for too long and needs to re-evaluate and re-assess its
role on the international sphere.
At the end of his book, Zakaria proposes six
strategies for the U.S. to envelop in order to re-define and re-strengthen its
role in the world: 1. Choose (Re-prioritize instead of trying to take on
everything) 2. Build broad rules, not narrow interests (“create a structure of
rules, practices, and values by which the world will be bound”) 3. Be Bismark not Britain (Engage with all of
the great powers and have better relations with all of them than they have with
each other) 4. Order a la Carte (A hammer is not the answer to every
problem. Different situations require
different tools) 5. Think asymmetrically (Embody its power and not let other
rising power psyche itself out) 6. Legitimacy is power (re-establish legitimacy
by using respect to project norms). By
focusing on these six goals, Zakaria believes that the United States will be
able to create and effective plan for the 21st century that is not
only prepared for international shifts, but also maintains US strengths.
The importance of Fareed Zakaria’s book is not only
to draw attention to a 21st Century phenomenon, but also to give a
practical guidebook for the US so that the US can maintain its power position
and continue to be a leader throughout the 21st Century.
Where
Zakaria Excels:
Zakaria’s fresh perspective on international
relations, not only highlights important truths about the 21st
Century that must be addressed, but also he is not afraid to challenge the
world’s superpower and encourage them to look at the world through an entirely
different perspective. In the mind of
most Americans, hegemonic power has largely been taken for granted. Americans have consistently used their past
successes as reasons to now legitimate all actions. Zakaria is not afraid to point out the recent
downfalls of America and given Americans a wake-up call. The Post American World is a very clear and
accurate portrayal of current international dynamics and he engages his
audience by not only drawing upon the historical context of today’s existing
structure, but also lays out a clear vision of the 21st century that
requires his readers to re-examine conventional wisdom.
He also makes a strong parallel between the reign o
f the United States and Britain. Britain, who maintained one of the longest and
strongest empires in history, is now is but a compilation of a few islands in
comparison to the size and strength of the US.
However, Britain, through smart politics has managed to maintain its
powerful position on the world stage. In
reference to the Yalta Conference, Zakaria states, “There was no ‘big three’ at
Yalta. There was a ‘big two’ plus one brilliant
political entrepreneur [Winston Churchill] who was able to keep himself and his
country in the game, so that Britain maintained many elements of great powerdom
well into the late twentieth century (Page 179). Zakria then compares the decisions and
strategy Britain had to make, to what the US has to face now with the rise of
India and China, who both have populations almost double that to the US. Zakaria makes a strong case for why the
United States should become more limber in its international affairs.
His chapters on the “Aly” and the “Challenger”,
India and China respectively, were also strong descriptions of the growing
trends in the major players of international politics. For a group of MBA students going to India on
an International Business Tour, his chapter particularly on India was a great
presentation of India and the United States’ partnership and how relations
between India and the US will be extremely important in the 21st
Century, especially since today, India is probably the most “pro-American
country in the world” (Page 150). Although
very different culturally, partnerships between India and the United States are
becoming more common. Zakaria states that “The most striking characteristic of
India today is its human capital—a vast and growing population of
entrepreneurs, managers, and business savvy individuals” (Page 135). Despite America’s persistence in thought that
America always has the best to offer, it is important to recognize how much
Americans can learn, particularly in business, from the rest of the world. Especially because of his Indian heritage,
Zakaria’s chapter on India, “The Aly” is particularly compelling, and really
enhances the optimism in the book.
Where Zakaria Falls Short:
Zakaria’s book is clearly written for Americans and
it prescribes a spelled out solution for the U.S. to take on in order to
maintain its superpower position on the world stage in the midst of the rise of
the rest. The final sentence is
Zakaria’s book writes “For America to thrive in this new and challenging era,
for it to succeed amid the rise of the rest, it need fulfill only one
test. It should be a place that is as
inviting and exciting to the young student who enters the country today as it
was for this awkward eighteen-year old a generation ago” (Page 259). It is true that the United States will no
doubtedly continue to be even among growing powers, the number one superpower
for the foreseeable future; however Zakaria does not adequately address what
will happen if the U.S. does not make adjustments to its domestic and
international policy. What would a world
look like if America does not adequately take steps to maintain its
position? Zakaria makes the assumption
that America will be able to bounce back and still maintain hegemony despite
the rise in the rest, and if someone outside of America read this book, I think
that they might be offended by the not
so subtle theme of American Exceptionalism that runs in and out of the book.
Zakaria also states
that “now everyone is playing America’s game, and is playing to win” (Page
206). The rise in prosperity of the rest
has also resulted in a rise of nationalism.
Strong nationalism (or patriotism as America would like to refer to it
as) was a powerful element that enhanced the American narrative that they were
different than the rest of the world and were destined to be great and
powerful. With the rise of “patriotism”
in other nations, it is clear that the world’s desire to accept the American
narrative has become diminished.
Globalization has fostered the spread of narratives, cultures and ways
of thinking and technology has flattened international politics and culture. Today, China is Africa’s leading trade
partner, and the largest sums of international investment in Africa are coming
from China. African perspectives on
Chinese investment are also far more favorable and positive in comparison to
their opinions on US investment and involvement. At this time, Americans are not equipped to
understand the rest of the world’s cultures.
Americans typically are not well-travelled, they only speak one
language, and they have a very narrow perspective on the world. Although Zakaria briefly addresses the issue,
he does not spend an adequate enough time or energy giving Americans a call to
action that encourages them to become more cosmopolitan in nature. If America wants to continue to be a leading
power, they must have an exceptional understanding of how the rules of the game
have changed, even on a civilian and cultural level. For America to continue to excel, it must
understand that the world is becoming less receptive to the demands of just one
dominant power. In order to not convey
that image, it is not just policy makers that need to have an attitude shift,
but all levels of society need to change.
My
Recommendations and Closing Thoughts
Overall, I think that The Post American World is a fantastic book and should be required
reading for all high school or college students. It is in my opinion an extremely accurate
portrayal of the shifts occurring across the world and it represents a paradigm
shift that needs to occur in the minds of all Americans. Since the book was written in 2008, it
definitely could use some updating. The
Arab Spring, death of Sadaam Hussein, heightened relations between Israel and
Palestine, splitting of Sudan, Obama’s reelection, and continued troubles at
home in America are all relevant events that should be contextualized with
Zakaria’s thesis; however, Zakaria really was a pioneer who made great strides
in the conventional wisdom in America.
Although a bit too optimistic for my taste, I think
that Zakaria’s final few sentences in his preface really capture the importance
of his book. He writes “People are doing
amazing things every day in every place on earth, Now it’s time for their governments to match
this human ingenuity with their own innovation and create new forms of cooperation…This
is the great project of the twenty-first century: a new architecture that
ensures peace, growth, and freedom for the world” (Page xxx). It is true that the world is changing, and
unless the structures and systems in place can adapt to these changes, there
are going to be more losers than there are winners. With our increased connectivity throughout
the world, our well-being is more tied to one another, and social engineers are
going to have a hefty task in from of them to cater to these rising
trends. America can no longer be the
sole foundation for world order, and so America needs to learn how to make room
for other powers or else it will topple with the weight of the expanding world
on its shoulders.
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