The Post American World :: The American Critic

The Post American World

by TheGreatEscapeOf2008
May 6th, 2008 at 9:47 PM
Filed under: News Story Commentary, Politics

I got my copy of Newsweek today, and it had a very, very interesting article I believe everyone needs to read. Please, feel free to discuss your thoughts.

The Post American World
It's true China is booming, Russia is growing more assertive, terrorism is a threat. But if America is losing the ability to dictate to this new world, it has not lost the ability to lead.

By Fareed Zakaria | NEWSWEEK

Americans are glum at the moment. No, I mean really glum. In April, a new poll revealed that 81 percent of the American people believe that the country is on the "wrong track." In the 25 years that pollsters have asked this question, last month's response was by far the most negative. Other polls, asking similar questions, found levels of gloom that were even more alarming, often at 30- and 40-year highs. There are reasons to be pessimistic—a financial panic and looming recession, a seemingly endless war in Iraq, and the ongoing threat of terrorism. But the facts on the ground—unemployment numbers, foreclosure rates, deaths from terror attacks—are simply not dire enough to explain the present atmosphere of malaise.

American anxiety springs from something much deeper, a sense that large and disruptive forces are coursing through the world. In almost every industry, in every aspect of life, it feels like the patterns of the past are being scrambled. "Whirl is king, having driven out Zeus," wrote Aristophanes 2,400 years ago. And—for the first time in living memory—the United States does not seem to be leading the charge. Americans see that a new world is coming into being, but fear it is one being shaped in distant lands and by foreign people.

Look around. The world's tallest building is in Taipei, and will soon be in Dubai. Its largest publicly traded company is in Beijing. Its biggest refinery is being constructed in India. Its largest passenger airplane is built in Europe. The largest investment fund on the planet is in Abu Dhabi; the biggest movie industry is Bollywood, not Hollywood. Once quintessentially American icons have been usurped by the natives. The largest Ferris wheel is in Singapore. The largest casino is in Macao, which overtook Las Vegas in gambling revenues last year. America no longer dominates even its favorite sport, shopping. The Mall of America in Minnesota once boasted that it was the largest shopping mall in the world. Today it wouldn't make the top ten. In the most recent rankings, only two of the world's ten richest people are American. These lists are arbitrary and a bit silly, but consider that only ten years ago, the United States would have serenely topped almost every one of these categories.

These factoids reflect a seismic shift in power and attitudes. It is one that I sense when I travel around the world. In America, we are still debating the nature and extent of anti-Americanism. One side says that the problem is real and worrying and that we must woo the world back. The other says this is the inevitable price of power and that many of these countries are envious—and vaguely French—so we can safely ignore their griping. But while we argue over why they hate us, "they" have moved on, and are now far more interested in other, more dynamic parts of the globe. The world has shifted from anti-Americanism to post-Americanism.

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The rest of the article can be found here; http://www.newsweek.com/id/135380

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ryan29 on March 2nd, 2009 at 2:38 PM

So who is leading the world now? China? Russia? the EU? I think not. Perhaps America is not so materialistic as it once was! that's not a bad thing, loser

Benthamite on October 17th, 2008 at 2:24 PM

I just finished reading this book, and my brief review is below.

“The Post-American World,” by Fareed Zakaria:
Zakaria, a native of India who came to the states at 18, paints a lucid portrait of America’s position in the global community. As a book with a seemingly less-than-patriotic title, after reading you will find exactly the opposite. Zakaria illustrates just why America is the world’s superpower while debunking many popular myths regarding America’s decline, such as bad education, an emerging lack of technical skill and ingenuity, and rising foreign military prowess. What you will gain by reading this book is a deeper perspective on why foreign and domestic policy, such as immigration, are so: Issues that are debated in the media are not necessarily representative of the details behind the real issues, the details our public officials are concerned with.

After laying out a detailed and well supported narrative on why our country has adopted present policy, Zakaria relates these decisions to the survival of America as a key player in the global community, where other countries are experiencing rapid, though in most aspects not comparable to U.S. rates, of growth. After making very logical arguments, which I think most public officials would acknowledge (perhaps not publicly, on some accounts), he concludes warmly by suggesting that the key things the U.S. must do to maintain its global status, which he experience when he arrived as an “awkward eighteen-year-old” a generation ago: be welcoming, inviting, and maintain an exciting and vibrant society, conducive to creativity, hard work, and success. And I second his assertion and realize that even though I may be a U.S. native comfortable on U.S. turf, I am on equal footing with the global community in many regards, where success can only come from personal commitment and hard work and not passive resistance.

TheGreatEscapeOf2008 on May 13th, 2008 at 10:19 PM

Here's a very informative video that shows how the USA is selling itself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAs7XZVgKhI

Take it easy and take care,
-Todd

TheGreatEscapeOf2008 on May 13th, 2008 at 10:12 PM

I am going to try to make this brief, but I am focused more on how we got here, rather than what is happening now that we are here. I am sorry if it sounds like a "rant", I am just fed up with America's deterioration.

~~~~~~~~

The down swing of America began when Woodrow Wilson enacted the Federal Reserve (FedRes)-- A privatized bank that acts, operates and even calls itself a part of the US Government; It is not. The operators of the FedRes, are wealthy bankers who purchased America's lifeblood. Who ever controls the money, controls the country. We have not had a president since Wilson that has not banked money off of the sale/creation of the FedRes. We have thousands of lobbyists sitting on Capital Hill, filling the pockets of every politician.

America is a nations of nations. I do not mean this as an attack on the ethnicities of America, but rather the corporations and companies which are ruining this country. We [America] allow thousands of workers to be laid off daily; Companies are moving production, manufacturing, engineering, assembly and all aspects of a business to other 3rd world countries, where the products can be made for pennies on the dollar. I read a statistic somewhere, not sure if it is correct or not, but for every 3 jobs created in America, we loose 7 jobs to the Chinese, India, Thailand, Japan and every other country that will work for slave-labor.

Aside from thousands of jobs being shipped out daily, American's are on a bargain craze. It is human nature to want something at the lowest possible cost. But at what cost are we paying? There is a Wal-Mart on every corner, stocked to the brink with millions of items from A to Z-- all made in China.

Our Federal Stimulus payments the government is sending out right now are all bought from the Chinese. The FedRes borrowed BILLIONS of dollars for these Stimulus payments. All of the money is borrowed from our economic enemies; China, Japan, Russia, you name it. The FedRes is borrowing money from anyone and everyone it can, and promising to pay it back at 100% interest. To also help costs, they are selling America. Just look around; our ship ports are for sale, our airports are up next on the auction block, our ROADWAYS are for sale, the FedRes is for sale. Everything in America is "For Sale".

How can we compete on a global level, if we are for sale? How can we compete on a global level if everything we buy is from another country? How can we compete on a global level if we are loosing thousands of jobs to outsourcing? How can we compete on a global level if our government is owned and operated by "someone else".

Simple. We can't.

Take it easy and take care,
-Todd

Benthamite on May 8th, 2008 at 3:51 PM

Perfect timing... Here's a somewhat related article:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/08/obama/index.html

Benthamite on May 7th, 2008 at 6:34 PM

Good article. I recently felt America’s decline, so to speak, in the world first hand. During my recent trip to Greece, I felt the monetary effect of having to buy up to spend the euro as well as the social affect of having to humble, noticing that Greeks, for the most part, were disinterested in Americans. In fact, the only Greek friends I made were at the gym during a workout. The gym was also the only place I received an honest discount, not to mention a couple protein shakes.

One point not covered in the article above is the fact that English is not the most widely spoken language in the world. In terms of numbers, the Chinese possess the most popular language, which is predicted to grow phenomenally. But numbers aren’t everything. The article above does, however, relate monumental achievements to a countries overall success; but, I wonder if this is a wise way to judge. Granted, though, this method has worked throughout history. For example, all the layperson really knows about ancient Greeks is that their temples were extraordinary accomplishments, some of which still stand today; same case with the Egyptian and their enormous pyramids.

The article is certainly appropriate, however, given recent events. In addition, I think Americans are going through a period of reflection, which brings about anxiety regarding our status in the world. I have experienced the same sentiments and, likewise, do not have a concrete answer. It would be nice to read another article on the same subject that actually drills down further into the American psyche, investigating what people really think. However, it won’t be me that writes it.