魔物娘螳螂榨精图:America and ‘the rise of the rest’

America and ‘the rise of the rest’ Posted on July 19thThe Post-American World
By Fareed Zakaria

W.W. Norton. 292 pp. $25.95

Such a person is Fareed Zakaria, whose grasp of the myriad complexities and impact of globalization reveals what is in store for future generations around the world.

The author is editor of Newsweek International and an authentic thinker and presenter on various television talk shows, including his own newly minted CNN Sunday-afternoon program, Fareed Zakaria GPS.

In his new book, The Post-American World, Zakaria discloses in stunning detail the new world order that is under way, quietly emerging with many unheralded nations participating.

What makes Zakaria’s latest work so arresting is that it is far from just another boring diatribe aimed at America and the West. Rather, Zakaria embraces “the rise of the rest” in their bold bid for international parity.

Change will arrive in many forms, Zakaria prophesies. World-wide diversity will ultimately challenge many old assumptions as new players join in the game.

The Post-American World is intriguing because of its unambiguous recognition of the altered state of global politics. Change, Zakaria poses, is arriving in the areas of economics, technology, culture, science, education and international relations.

The writer, born in Mumbai, India, was educated at Yale and Harvard. He insists that America is not declining rapidly but is destined to play an altered role as a greater number of nations work hard to become full players on the international scene.

It is no accident, Zakaria points out in his carefully researched book, that world dominance is being shared among an increasing variety of nations. Nor are all of those nations in Asia, as many believe.

Zakaria writes about the fluid economic growth of many countries and suggests that in 2006 and 2007, the economies of no fewer than 124 nations grew at an unprecedented rate of 4 percent or more. That includes more than 30 countries in Africa, two-thirds of the continent.

Antoine van Agtmael, the fund manager who coined the term “emerging markets,” identified the 25 companies most likely to be the world’s next great multinationals. His list includes four companies each from Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan; three from India; two from China; and one each from Argentina, Chile, Malaysia and South Africa.

Change is under way throughout the world. Look around, Zakaria suggests: “The tallest building in the world is now in Taipei, and it will soon be overtaken by one being built in Dubai. . . . Its largest publicly traded corporation is Chinese. The world’s biggest plane is built in Russia and Ukraine, its leading refinery is under construction in India, and its largest factories are all in China. By many measures, London is becoming the leading financial center, and the United Arab Emirates is home to the most richly endowed investment fund.

“Once quintessentially American icons have been appropriated by foreigners.”

To expand his point, he notes that the world’s largest Ferris wheel is in Singapore. Its number-one casino is not in Las Vegas but in Macao, which also has overtaken Vegas in annual gambling revenues.

Nations such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Kenya, South Korea and Iran among others are flexing newly developed muscles and increasingly will have a more dominant role in geopolitics of the future.

The new posture of America will not necessarily be a greatly diminished one, Zakaria concludes. He hastens to add that “Washington needs to begin a serious transformation of its global strategy, moving from being the dominant hegemon to a role that is more like an honest broker. It must seek to share power, create coalitions, build legitimacy, and define the global agenda.”

An internationalist, Zakaria has a deep understanding of political history and technology and views the world with a notable absence of condescension.

Throughout this dynamic book, a picture of a more competitive and therefore healthier world emerges.

Central to Zakaria’s analysis is the role of China’s staggering economic growth along with its vast military buildup. The writer underscores India’s exhilarating economic development, and Russia’s surprising oil wealth and resurgent autocracy.

The author challenges many myths concerning issues such as global economics, political and social unrest, and Islamic terrorism.

Zakaria delves deeply into the impact of Western values on non-Western cultures. The author’s first best-seller was The Future of Freedom. His current book explains how and why previously undeveloped nations have adapted Western models and theories.

In writing this book, Zakaria has performed a great service to America and the rest of the world. The Post-American World is a mirror that helps us examine the role of the United States and numerous other countries with honesty and candor. Readers will be greatly enlightened and richly rewarded by Zakaria’s exquisite understanding of international relationships, global politics, and economic development.

The book is filled with insights concerning many significant issues including nuclear proliferation and America’s credibility. Still, the author insists the world is safer than is generally believed.

Zakaria’s views are as current as our nation’s presidential election between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama.

Perhaps his most powerful thinking concerns China, the nation he believes will be the challenge of this century because of its potential for economic growth and technological development. America remains firmly on Zakaria’s international landscape. What he makes clear throughout is that the changing world of geopolitics and economic expansion will be the story of the new century.