The Post-American World, Release 2

239 Pages·2011·1.32 MB·English

by  Fareed Zakaria

More praise for
The Post-American World
“Rarely does a young author and journalist come along in possession of a
prophetic brilliance, near-perfect clarity, and a stirring eloquence that combine to
inform his readers concerning what lies ahead on the international landscape.
Such a person is Fareed Zakaria. . . . 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.”
—Claude Lewis, Philadelphia Inquirer
“A provocative and often shrewd take that opens a big picture window on the
closing of the first American century and the advent of a new world. . . . Mr.
Zakaria uses his wide-ranging fluency in economics, foreign policy and cultural
politics to give the lay reader a lucid picture of a globalized world (and
America’s role in it) that is changing at light speed, even as he provides a host of
historical analogies to examine the possible fallout of these changes.”
—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
“Fareed Zakaria has been consistently brilliant in his analysis of world affairs
but also something far more rare: he has turned out to have been right. Now he’s
produced another masterpiece of insight. With great reporting and cultural
understanding, Zakaria explains a future shaped by many emerging power
centers. This book isn’t about America’s decline, it’s about how it can deploy its
unique strengths to prosper as the rest of the world does so as well. It’s a
definitive handbook for political and business leaders who want to succeed in a
global era.”
—Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein: His Life and Universe
“This is a relentlessly intelligent book that eschews simple-minded projections
from crisis to collapse. . . . Maybe it takes a Bombay-born immigrant like
Zakaria, who went from Yale to Harvard . . . and to the top of Newsweek
International, to remind this faltering giant of its unique and enduring strengths.”
—Joseph Joffe, New York Times Book Review
“It is refreshing to read Fareed Zakaria, who writes with infectious (though not
naïve) sunniness. . . . Mr. Zakaria makes his case with eloquence but without
Panglossian simplicity.”
—Brendan Simms, Wall Street Journal
“Zakaria . . . may have more intellectual range and insights than any other public
thinker in the West.”
—David M. Shribman, Boston Sunday Globe
“Zakaria’s The Post-American World is about the ‘rise of the rest,’ a catchy
phrase from one of the most widely cited writers on foreign affairs. His prism is
correct: We should focus more on the ‘rest,’ even if America is still the premier
superpower. . . . As the Iraq war drags on and China rises, the larger story of the
post–Cold War era has come into sharp relief: We are not the center of the
universe. It matters less that particular countries are pro-or anti-American than
that the world is increasingly non-American. We need to get over ourselves.”
—Parag Khanna, Washington Post Book World
“Zakaria . . . is judicious, reasonable, smooth, [and] intelligent. . . . He points out
that, aside from some pockets of backwardness, the whole world has been
getting much richer. . . . Even though the economic scene looks gloomier now
than it did when he finished his book, Zakaria is correct to insist that many
people everywhere have benefitted from the global boom.”
—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker
“Provocative . . . illuminating and right. . . . [In] his welcome contribution to the
debate, Fareed Zakaria . . . deftly avoids the extremes of declinism and
triumphalism.”
—Peter Berkowitz, New York Sun
“A far-reaching analysis. . . . Zakaria’s strength lies . . . in offering a lens through
which to understand America’s role in a globalized world.” —Reza Aslan, Slate
“When a book proclaims that it is not about the decline of America but ‘the rise
of everyone else,’ readers might expect another diatribe about our dismal post-
9/11 world. They are in for a pleasant surprise as Newsweek editor and popular
pundit Zakaria . . . delivers a stimulating, largely optimistic forecast of where the
21st century is heading. . . . A lucid, thought-provoking appraisal of world
affairs, this book will engage readers on both sides of the political spectrum.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“With characteristic elegance and insight, Zakaria offers a striking picture of the
rapid growth of the non-West.”
—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs
“Sharply observed . . . Fareed Zakaria’s sobering book analyzes the changes
afoot as rising global players challenge U.S. dominance. . . . There is no doubt
that he is on to important stuff.”
—Stanley Reed, BusinessWeek
“A thoughtful, reasoned and hopeful sketch of global power and politics in the
21st century.”
—David Goldblatt, The Independent (UK)
“Fareed Zakaria is one of the most thoughtful foreign policy analysts of our day
and his new book, The Post-American World, is a must-read for anyone
interested in globalization—or the Presidential election for that matter.”
—Bruce Nussbaum, BusinessWeek.com
“His latest book, The Post-American World, is a highly informed and
meticulously detailed examination. . . . Studded with statistics, Zakaria’s book is
notable for its emphasis on economics as the driving force of global change.”
—Rayyan Al-Shawaf, San Antonio Express-News
“Even if we Americans already know that our country has lost some of its game
over the past, say, eight years, Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria
delivers this message in an altogether new, almost buoyant context.”
—Alan Moores, Seattle Times
“Thought-provoking and important. . . . Fareed Zakaria, whose wise and
perceptive editorials in the American magazine Newsweek should be required
reading for policymakers around the planet, has written a minor masterpiece full
of pragmatic, informed intelligence. . . . Zakaria is optimistic, though far from
complacent. . . . Read Zakaria to know what has, should and will happen.”
—Jason Burke, The Guardian (London)
“This new analysis of America’s role in the world is a serious, readable . . .
essential book.”
—The Republic
“Zakaria’s particular perspective makes his analysis and prescriptions truly
worth reading.”
—Dan Simpson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
ALSO BY FAREED ZAKARIA
The Future of Freedom:
Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad
From Wealth to Power:
The Unusual Origins of America’s World Role
(coeditor)
The American Encounter:
The United States and the Making of the Modern World
The
Post-American
World
Release 2.0
Fareed Zakaria
W. W. Norton & Company
New York London
Copyright © 2011, 2008 by Fareed Zakaria
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,
write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue,
New York, NY 10110
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact
W. W. Norton Special Sales at [email protected] or 800-233-4830
Manufacturing by RR Donnelley, Harrisonburg
Book design by Anna Oler
Production manager: Julia Druskin
Ebook conversion by Erin Schultz, TIPS Technical Publishing, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zakaria, Fareed.
The post-American world : release 2.0 / Fareed Zakaria.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-393-08180-0 (hardcover)
1. Twenty-first century—Forecasts. 2. International relations—Forecasting.
3. International economic relations—Forecasting. 4. United States—Foreign relations—21st century—Forecasting. 5. World politics—21st century—
Forecasting. 6. East and West. 7. Globalization—Forecasting. I. Title.
CB161.Z34 2011
303.49—dc22
2011003996
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
www.wwnorton.com
W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.
Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0