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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | “Zakaria . . . may have more intellectual range and insights than any other public thinker in the West.” —Boston Sunday Globe “This is not a book about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else.” So begins Fareed Zakaria’s blockbusting bestseller on the United States in the twenty-first century. How can Americans understand this rapidly changing international climate, and how might the nation continue to thrive in a truly global era? Zakaria answers these questions with his customary lucidity, insight, and imagination. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Fareed Zakaria | | Hardcover: | 304 pages | | Publisher: | W. W. Norton & Company | | Publication Date: | April 17, 2008 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 039306235X | | Package Length: | 9.3 inches | | Package Width: | 6.2 inches | | Package Height: | 1.2 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.25 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 286 reviews |
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| | Features | ISBN13: 9780393062359Condition: NewNotes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
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 Learning Not To Be The Center Of The Universe Aug 26, 2010
This book explains that the 21st century economy is going to be one where America is no longer the dominant power. And because we have been accustomed to thinking of ourselves as 'the leader' for so long, this poses political and emotional challenges to ourselves and cultural identity.
We must learn that this is not a sign of failure on behalf of leaders and/or parties. It is the inevitable--if unexpected outcome of post-cold war international politics. Because we were successful with having won the old scenario, new dominant players emerged today.
The previous scenario could not and would not indefinitely remain arranged as it had been known. And trying to pretend only postponed a confrontation of the inevitable conclusion. We have to confront things sometime.
But the book does not blame America or it's elected officials. It sees the change as a natural life process, a political evolution of States. It would be a good read for international relations classes. And people wanting to make sense of headlines on the news could also enjoy the research. The book's scholarship intentionally seeks to educate readers without talking over them.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Post-American World Aug 05, 2010
Well written. Interesting insights into how the world is evolving. Not the anti-American tome that some have portayed it to be when showing Mr. Obama carrying a copy. I'm just surprised he can read it.
It Won't Be So Bad After All Aug 03, 2010
Fareed Zakaria's The Post-American World was a helpful read for me as I try to stay "up to speed" in understanding the rapid changes in the world around me since I first started trying to understand it in my college days (ahh, nearly 30 years ago subscribing to and reading from cover to cover periodicals such as Newsweek, US News. Etc. My, how the times change!). The future he paints is one of cautious optimism. There are some significant attitude adjustments America needs to make, however.
Rather than reproduce the excellent reviews others have written about this book, I will simply list some points which especially drew my attention:
1. Impact of British Empire (p. 68): responsible for the worldwide spread of the English language, banking, the common law, Protestantism, team sports, the limited state, representative government, and the idea of liberty. Wow!
2. I wondered if all the attention paid to India as a "slowly moving arrow in the right direction" is really justified or is more a product of the author's Indian heritage and desire to see his country succeed.
3. Insularity and widespread general ignorance of the American people (p. 46) Alas, so true!
4. Discussion of Confucianism (p. 84) - Zakaria treats Confucianism as if it were a religion when in the part of the world where I live it is considered separate and distinct from religion. He says "Confucianism doesn't believe in the need to spread the faith, etc. but Buddhism, which is a major faith here amongst these very same so-called Confucianists, clearly does.
5. China's foreign policy (pp. 123/127): "Time is on its side." China has made many clever moves that have increased Taiwan's dependence on the mainland, all the time strengthening its military. "The goal for China is not conflict but avoidance of conflict... True success in strategic issues involves manipulating a situation so effectively that the outcome is inevitably in favor of Chinese interests." Sun Zi: "Every battle is won or lost before it is ever fought."
6. Over-attentiveness to terror (p. 12) and the minimal financial cost of the War on Terror (p. 182): I had never seen it from this angle before.
7. Singapore- encouraging participation in the classroom (p. 194): Basing 10% of the student's grade on oral participation in an attempt to move away from spoon-fed memorization. Taiwan, where I work, badly needs to introduce similar reforms into its educational system!
8. echnological leaders in the US decry the apparent lack of engineers and the analytically-skilled (p. 187), yet the US continues to maintain near total domination in the field of higher education (p. 190). But who are we educating, and what percentages are staying?
9. Immigration policies (p. 198): Particularly interesting, especially considering the debate in Arizona and other states since the book has been published. I would like to read and understand this area in more depth.
10. Investing in emerging markets and investments in emerging technologies (nanotechnology and biotech, p. 185): Another area where I want to continue to do some cautious follow-up study...
A Thoughtful and Surprisingly Upbeat Read Jul 30, 2010
I was a little put-off by the title of this book but was pleasantly surprised and came away very impressed by the author and his ideas. This is less about a diminished place in the world for the United States than it is about what Zakaria calls the "rise of the rest." He is a very able writer who maintains good pacing by weaving in interesting anecdotes and insights that support his thesis. It is rare in this predictive genre that an author doesn't hedge his bet with malleable phrasing but Zakaria is an exception; he may not always be right but his declarative statements are there for the test of time. Among the most interesting pages are those that address the inevitable comparison between the U.S. and the now hallow British Empire. There is also an excellent section on why after 1500 Europe out-paced the rest of the world and also why, before that time, China failed to rise after a establishing a very promising foundation for development. Zakaria wrote the first edition book I read a year or so before the financial crash of 2008 and some of his statements and assertions may indeed strike the reader, with the benefit of hindsight, as debatable at best. Even so, it's an excellent primer that does many things well.
2 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Banal and Sloppy Jul 21, 2010
I did not purchase this book; rather it was given to me by a financial advisor who wanted my business.
I recommend that you do not purchase this book. It gives a faulty description of recent international developments.
I agree with Zakaia's underlying premise that US economic and military dominance is slowly declining. However, his analysis of China and her challenges are wanting. He is a journalist who is untrained in international finance, international relations, and statistics. His description of China is very similar to incorrect views about Japan in the 1980's when Japan was viewed as the "bogey man." Therefore, his predictions of increasing Chinese dominance could be equally erroneous.
His prescriptions are both naive and politically inviable. For example, he calls for "a more organic international system in which problems are addressed through a variety of structures and solutions can create its own kind of layered stability." This betrays an ignorance of the key constraints of international governance.
His analysis displays economic illiteracy. His justification for his over reliance on the use of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to make comparisons across countries show an ignorance on what GDP measures and how it is derived. Because of this, he ends up making incorrect conclusions.
An aside: I chose not use this financial advisor's services.
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