Summer Reading, Part 1 of 4: THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD

While on vacation recently, I had a chance to read a few books. As one of my younger readers pointed out: “How Twentieth,” meaning Twentieth Century or “old school.” The implication is that nobody reads anymore.

Perhaps fewer people read now than before, but I, for one, still do. (I think anyway, but more on that subject next week). Although I own a Kindle (the new wireless, electronic reading device from Amazon.com), I prefer the look of ink on dead trees and the feel of the turning a page.

THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD

The first book I read was THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD by Fareed Zakaria (New York: W. W. Norton, 2008). Mr. Zakaria’s book is about what he calls “the rise of the rest,” non-Western countries becoming significant economic and military players.

Zakaria grew up in India and is now the editor of NEWSWEEK INTERNATIONAL. His book provides an overview of the world today and the role he sees the United States playing in the future. The facts he examines are, for the most part, objective and nonpartisan. His worldview is slightly left of center but is also sprinkled with pragmatism and reality.

The book explains to a “non-worldly” reader just how much has changed over the past 25 years, especially in China and India, who each get their own chapter in the book. While he doesn’t explicitly state that the rise of non-Western countries will cause “the decline and fall of the American empire,” the implication is certainly there. One would assume that as other countries modernize their economies and become bigger players in the world, their gain will come at America’s loss.

Weakness

The principal weakness of the book is caused by its brevity. Zakaria paints with broad strokes, a necessity of any high-level overview. This results in many over-generalizations and assessments that may be correct in specific circumstances but are not correct when taken out of context.

Strength

On the other hand, the strength of the book is that it provides a good wake-up call. Many Americans believe our country’s status as the world’s only superpower is a certainty. This book reminds us that our country’s status is the result of hard work, sacrifice, and investment by the generations who came before us. In many ways, this parallels Great Britain prior to World War II. At that time, many Brits believed that “the sun never sets on the British Empire.” A decade later, they had no empire about which to worry.

Overall, THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD is a good read and good wake up call.