Coming from a background of Kinesiology and Nutrition, I had not studied much politics before entering this graduate program. I was never interested in history until I read Jared Diamond’s book Guns, Germs and Steel in an anthropology class a few years ago. It was such a unique and logical perspective, and gave me the foundation to understand why global power distributed itself in the pattern it did. That foundation helped me to understand some of what Zakaria referred to, but to someone with a little global history, the book was fairly dense. Regardless of experience studying history, the book seemed appropriate for everyone.
Overview:
Fareed Zakaria, Editor of Newsweek International since 2000, author, editor, teacher and regular on CNN, has amazing experience and credentials. I’m tempted to believe every word he says. He was born in Mumbai, India and attended Yale and Harvard studying Government. In his latest book, The Post American World, he is pointing out the global shift in power that has already taken place. He talks about why the shift in power is taking place and offers advice to America as to how to handle it. He repeatedly states that this is not a fall in U.S. power, but rather the “rise of the rest.” China and India are becoming superpowers, whether they are ready or not.
The Relevance of The Post American World:
This book was written for anyone listening or willing to listen. By that I mean our country is struggling and people are looking for a reason why. This book helps to answer the why and what to do now. It is applicable for every person in every country. Those interested in international dynamics, politics or economics (MBA students) will find extra pleasure in reading this book. A transformational leader says what you have at the tip of your tongue but cannot yet verbalize. I see Fareed Zakaria as this leader… he gives people the knowledge they seek and helps to make sense of this unique reality. Since awareness of global warming has recently increased, a peaked interest in understanding global dynamics may be soon to come. My hope is that The Post American World and others like it will be new threads for unity on planet earth. The more we can understand about the world and why these global dynamics exist, the better we can help our planet as a whole. Americans may feel a little ego shock at first when reading this book, but I hope it can help build the foundation to a globe equally understanding of each of its inhabitants.
Since global business is growing, it is becoming more important to have an understanding of other countries. This book helps to achieve that goal; it helps each reader to be more informed about the world we live in.
What Zakaria Did Well:
Fareed Zakaria had much strength within the pages of The Post American World. I have identified three strengths that I feel have added immensely to the quality of his book. First, Zakaria is thorough and provides great insight after giving readers a clear and in depth understanding of the material. He takes time to lay out enough history so a reader from any background can understand the concept being delivered. Zakaria understands that every person has different knowledge. I consider myself as a political and economical novice. His explanations were extensive enough so that I could understand the concepts he presented, but written in a way such that individuals with the extensive background knowledge would still read what he had to say.
Secondly, he takes time to address the opinions of readers, or what he assumes they may be. Each reader has a different worldview, and an easy way for an author to lose credibility is to insult his readers or fail to recognize pre-conceived opinions or individual worldviews. He makes sure that if he has something negative or shocking to reveal, he does so in a non-offensive and sensitive way. He substantiates his opinions and allows readers to draw their own conclusions. Particularly in this book—a book involving many countries, it is important to consider who your readers are. When writing The Post American World, Fareed Zakaria made an effort to understand his audience.
Lastly, this book was eloquently written. He can be viewed as a bearer of bad news. Because his delivery was so smooth, it’s an easier pill to swallow pill. I have read many excellent books written terribly… I have also read many terrible books written well. The presentation is everything, and Zakaria writes beautifully. Immediately I could tell he was passionate and meticulous about the material presented in this book.
What Zakaria Could Have Done Better:
At the end of The Post American World, Zakaria paints a picture of hope for the American people. America is a resilient country—let’s hope. This book came to market in early 2008, as our presidential campaigns were rolling strong. He could not foresee the outcome, and nominees probably were not chosen at the time he wrote this book, but the missing link in this book seems to be considering the lead change of America.
The last eight years have been plagued by President George Bush, whose cabinet is responsible for much of the struggle the U.S. currently faces internally and internationally. Before the Bush years, Clinton’s foreign interactions were criticized as well. “…But all these complaints were polite chatter compared with the hostility aroused by George W. Bush” (page 222). Point being—as we know, the President greatly influences global affairs. Barack Obama is starting his presidency during a recession; America is struggling, but the missing link for me is the validity of some of Zakaria’s points considering the change in presidency. Obama has proposed drastic changes in two trade agreements, both of which Zakaria references in this book—the WTO and NAFTA. Also considering that Obama was seen reading The Post American World during his campaign, will he follow Fareed Zakaria’s advice? Zakaria endorsed Obama in his Newsweek article The Case for Barack Obama—Obama is pushing to change the parameters of the country's comfort zone. That's leadership.
My criticism of Fareed Zakaria is minimal… he could not have met the expectations I laid out in the previous paragraph—the events had not yet happened.
In Closing:
America has hit a wall. “America remains the global superpower today, but it is an enfeebled one. Its economy has trouble, its currency is sliding, and it faces long-term problems with its soaring entitlements and low savings. Anti-American sentiment is at an all-time high everywhere from Great Britain to Malaysia” (page 217). Fareed Zakaria has helped me to understand why.
I learned a great lesson about the ego of the United States. Having lived in California my entire life, I lacked outside perspective, especially in the context of history. We are taught from American made books with American made information. “In many countries outside the Western world, there is pent up frustration with having had to accept an entirely Western or American narrative of world history—one in which they are either miscast or remain bit players.” Zakaria goes on to explain that in World War II, the common story known to Westerners is “…Britain and the U.S. heroically defeat the forces of fascist Germany and Japan” (page 34). Come to find out, Russia was responsible for the battle that killed 70% of the Germans. We push our language and culture onto other countries but do not learn theirs. We point fingers and blame everyone but ourselves. China and India are used to support U.S. companies, why are we surprised they have become rising superpowers?
This book helped me to take what has been happening globally and simplify it. China is producing goods, India is producing services, and the U.S. is using both, as our own economy fails. We are stimulating the economies of other countries, we have helped the “rise of the rest” to happen… we have given the formula away. There will be a shift… with the focus and intention of Barack Obama, who has read this book, there will be a shift.
I loved this book. Fareed Zakaria provides background information, explains current and past happenings in an understandable and non-offensive way, then gives us a plan and hope. I will read anything Zakaria writes and listen to what he says, not with a blind eye, but knowing that I have established trust what he has to say.
Zakaria, Fareed. The Post-American World. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Chindia Blog Comment
Response to: Defending India
More Terrorism or More Technology?
Like most of us, I too talked a lot about the bombings in Mumbai over the Thanksgiving holiday. The conversation was reversed however at my dinner table. My very liberal mother (hosting a vegan Thanksgiving mind you) had no doubt Mumbai remains a safe place to travel. I on the other hand had my hesitations and searched for logical justification for its safety. I needed facts to grasp onto as to why I wasn’t walking into a death trap.
For some strange reason, I fear natural disasters. I’m not sure if bombings qualify, but I think the common ground is uncontrollable and unpredictable situations. If fear and doubt are the opposite of love and trust, to reverse my fears, I’d need to trust India and the journey we will embark upon.
I checked the Wall Street Journal and New York Times updates from my iphone throughout the day—an amazing technology. That action sparked my thought process… and I remembered a piece of Zakaria’s The Post American World I had read:
“One reason for the mismatch between reality and our sense of it might be that, over these same decades, we have experienced a revolution in information technology that now brings us news from around the world instantly, vividly and continuously…
…It feels like a very dangerous world. But it isn’t. Your chances of dying as a consequence of organized violence of any kind are low and getting lower.”
Relative to other periods of time on planet earth, the times we live in are relatively calm; we are now simply better informed. Now I know Fareed Zakaria wrote this book before the bombings in Mumbai, but I would bet that fact remains true.
Countries (yes, even our own) seem to have a way of shielding or screening information from their citizens, like China’s Great Firewall. The media sways the opinions of people, consciously or not. We now have endless ways to acquire information… newspapers, TV, radio, cell phones, or what our Chindia speaker Lonnie Hodge made many references to: Twitter. Twitter has been known to carry news faster than news networks! People around the globe are linked and communicating. This in turn gives the media less power. Does it also ensure honesty?
So my question remains: is the world really an unsafe place, or have technological advances just made us more aware?
More Terrorism or More Technology?
Like most of us, I too talked a lot about the bombings in Mumbai over the Thanksgiving holiday. The conversation was reversed however at my dinner table. My very liberal mother (hosting a vegan Thanksgiving mind you) had no doubt Mumbai remains a safe place to travel. I on the other hand had my hesitations and searched for logical justification for its safety. I needed facts to grasp onto as to why I wasn’t walking into a death trap.
For some strange reason, I fear natural disasters. I’m not sure if bombings qualify, but I think the common ground is uncontrollable and unpredictable situations. If fear and doubt are the opposite of love and trust, to reverse my fears, I’d need to trust India and the journey we will embark upon.
I checked the Wall Street Journal and New York Times updates from my iphone throughout the day—an amazing technology. That action sparked my thought process… and I remembered a piece of Zakaria’s The Post American World I had read:
“One reason for the mismatch between reality and our sense of it might be that, over these same decades, we have experienced a revolution in information technology that now brings us news from around the world instantly, vividly and continuously…
…It feels like a very dangerous world. But it isn’t. Your chances of dying as a consequence of organized violence of any kind are low and getting lower.”
Relative to other periods of time on planet earth, the times we live in are relatively calm; we are now simply better informed. Now I know Fareed Zakaria wrote this book before the bombings in Mumbai, but I would bet that fact remains true.
Countries (yes, even our own) seem to have a way of shielding or screening information from their citizens, like China’s Great Firewall. The media sways the opinions of people, consciously or not. We now have endless ways to acquire information… newspapers, TV, radio, cell phones, or what our Chindia speaker Lonnie Hodge made many references to: Twitter. Twitter has been known to carry news faster than news networks! People around the globe are linked and communicating. This in turn gives the media less power. Does it also ensure honesty?
So my question remains: is the world really an unsafe place, or have technological advances just made us more aware?
Chindia Blog Comment
Response to: So You Want To Learn To Say More Than Just Ni Hao?
Why knowing only English can be a disadvantage…
Yes, we should ALL want to learn to say more than just Ni Hao.
The globe is learning English… why? Because we’ve told them to. Part of the shift of power or what Zakaria calls the “rise of the rest” is the global use of the English language, nearing one quarter of the planet. Zakaria says:
“What sounds young and modern today is English. No language has ever spread so broadly and deeply across the world…
…Some 80% of the electronically stored information in the world is in English”
We know English is spreading like wildfire, but people do not forget their native tongue to take on English. They use it as an additional language. The gap here seems obvious to me: Americans know English, that’s it.
The rest of the world has adopted business practices, from the U.S. and Europe; we pushed this to happen. What Westerners failed to predict is how the lack of our own foreign language and culture knowledge would leave us behind, as much of the world is becoming bi and multi-lingual.
Many Californians know Spanish, probably because of the proximity to Mexico and the immigrant influence on California’s agricultural economy. In this golden state, most of us land on a spectrum of understanding and/or speaking Spanish.
Other languages do not seem to be commonly spoken, by Americans born in the US that is. It’s refreshing to hear the occasional foreign language in our not-so-culturally-diverse town.
We seem to be a tattle tale of a country and the one to point fingers. Zakaria states, “we are the only country in the world to issue annual report cards on every other country’s behavior.”
What has happened while we were pointing fingers and giving report cards elsewhere? Has our own ego created our potential demise?
Why knowing only English can be a disadvantage…
Yes, we should ALL want to learn to say more than just Ni Hao.
The globe is learning English… why? Because we’ve told them to. Part of the shift of power or what Zakaria calls the “rise of the rest” is the global use of the English language, nearing one quarter of the planet. Zakaria says:
“What sounds young and modern today is English. No language has ever spread so broadly and deeply across the world…
…Some 80% of the electronically stored information in the world is in English”
We know English is spreading like wildfire, but people do not forget their native tongue to take on English. They use it as an additional language. The gap here seems obvious to me: Americans know English, that’s it.
The rest of the world has adopted business practices, from the U.S. and Europe; we pushed this to happen. What Westerners failed to predict is how the lack of our own foreign language and culture knowledge would leave us behind, as much of the world is becoming bi and multi-lingual.
Many Californians know Spanish, probably because of the proximity to Mexico and the immigrant influence on California’s agricultural economy. In this golden state, most of us land on a spectrum of understanding and/or speaking Spanish.
Other languages do not seem to be commonly spoken, by Americans born in the US that is. It’s refreshing to hear the occasional foreign language in our not-so-culturally-diverse town.
We seem to be a tattle tale of a country and the one to point fingers. Zakaria states, “we are the only country in the world to issue annual report cards on every other country’s behavior.”
What has happened while we were pointing fingers and giving report cards elsewhere? Has our own ego created our potential demise?
Chindia Blog Comment
Response to: The Day or Two After: President Obama and China (and India)
What’s in Store for Global Trade?
Cal Poly classrooms entertained a big elephant for the majority of this year… as instructors were warned not to talk about it. That elephant is a sticky topic called politics, or more specifically, our new president-elect Barack Obama. Now, I don’t mean to unveil the elephant or open a big can of worms… but, a question on my mind has been, how will our global business dynamic change with the new trade policies of Barack Obama?
In his campaign, Obama talked about the need to create local U.S. jobs. The United States has relied on countries such as China and India to manufacture products for much less money. Will we see a shift when new policies are put into place? Will new factories in the United States start producing items that have been produced elsewhere?
Relevant to this topic, here are Obama’s trade policies from http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/:
Trade
Obama and Biden believe that trade with foreign nations should strengthen the American economy and create more American jobs. He will stand firm against agreements that undermine our economic security.
• Fight for Fair Trade: Obama and Biden will fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. They will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important benchmarks. Obama and Biden will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.
• Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama and Biden believe that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. They will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.
• End Tax Breaks for Companies that Send Jobs Overseas: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that companies should not get billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving their operations overseas. Obama and Biden will also fight to ensure that public contracts are awarded to companies that are committed to American workers.
• Reward Companies that Support American Workers: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to reward companies that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers. The legislation would provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America if it has ever been in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.
To say the least, there is going to be re-negotiation! Obama seeks to renegotiate NAFTA as well as put pressure on the WTO. How will the global economy react? He thinks global trade will stimulate our economy but does not want to send jobs overseas.
Where does this leave China and India? Will these requirements change the consumerism mentality of Americans? Will they entice businessmen and women in China and India to produce more products themselves to trade? Will this in turn stimulate their economies?
What’s in Store for Global Trade?
Cal Poly classrooms entertained a big elephant for the majority of this year… as instructors were warned not to talk about it. That elephant is a sticky topic called politics, or more specifically, our new president-elect Barack Obama. Now, I don’t mean to unveil the elephant or open a big can of worms… but, a question on my mind has been, how will our global business dynamic change with the new trade policies of Barack Obama?
In his campaign, Obama talked about the need to create local U.S. jobs. The United States has relied on countries such as China and India to manufacture products for much less money. Will we see a shift when new policies are put into place? Will new factories in the United States start producing items that have been produced elsewhere?
Relevant to this topic, here are Obama’s trade policies from http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/:
Trade
Obama and Biden believe that trade with foreign nations should strengthen the American economy and create more American jobs. He will stand firm against agreements that undermine our economic security.
• Fight for Fair Trade: Obama and Biden will fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. They will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important benchmarks. Obama and Biden will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.
• Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama and Biden believe that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. They will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.
• End Tax Breaks for Companies that Send Jobs Overseas: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that companies should not get billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving their operations overseas. Obama and Biden will also fight to ensure that public contracts are awarded to companies that are committed to American workers.
• Reward Companies that Support American Workers: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to reward companies that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers. The legislation would provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America if it has ever been in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.
To say the least, there is going to be re-negotiation! Obama seeks to renegotiate NAFTA as well as put pressure on the WTO. How will the global economy react? He thinks global trade will stimulate our economy but does not want to send jobs overseas.
Where does this leave China and India? Will these requirements change the consumerism mentality of Americans? Will they entice businessmen and women in China and India to produce more products themselves to trade? Will this in turn stimulate their economies?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Beauty to Come...
Setting an intention early: to photograph as much as possible! What an opportunity :) I wonder if I can run with all the pollution in China? Or if I'd want to? I'm guessing not.
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