The Post-American World

• Author: Major Walter H. Kwon
• Pages: 08

THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD1

REVIEWED BY MAJOR WALTER H. KWON2

1. Introduction

   Fareed Zakaria's The Post-American World is a disappointing attempt to survey a very real potential American future of declining prosperity, a weakened military, and marginal security. The author thus misses a golden opportunity to raise the consciousness of readers and fails to foster greater probabilities that we can avoid the worst and seize the best that is certain to come our way as a nation.

2. Synopsis

   Zakaria spends most of his book giving a history lesson of the non-American world, providing for a fairly entertaining read. However, the underlying theme throughout the book revolves around world economic forces effectuating a decline in American prosperity and power. Unfortunately, it is precisely on this issue that Zakaria misses the mark. Zakaria discusses the 500-year history of the non-Western world, its foundations, and its developmental differences with the West. He then provides a good history of China and its economic, political, and military rise that can be summed up in what "Napoleon famously, and probably apocryphally, said, 'Let China sleep, for when China wakes, she will shake the world.'"3 Moreover, Zakaria thoroughly details the history of India's social, economic, political, religious, and military development, concluding optimistically that "India can still capitalize on its advantages―a vast, growing economy, an attractive political democracy, a vibrant model of secularism and tolerance, a keen knowledge of both East and West, and a special relationship with America."4 Furthermore, he compares America's decline in power to the decline of the British Empire. His central tenet is that "[i]n Britain, as it tried to maintain its superpower status, the largest challenge was economic rather than political. In America, it is the other way around."5 Finally, Zakaria lays out six simple guidelines for America to pursue in the current world order.6 It is here that Zakaria misses the mark by failing to recognize the largest challenges facing America are, like those of the British Empire, economic challenges. America's most immediate and fundamental underlying problem is its economic malaise.

3. Analysis

   1. A Commendable History Lesson, But a Disingenuous Thesis

      Zakaria states, "This is a book not about the decline of America but rather about the rise of everyone else."7 However, his assertion is disingenuous. The natural inference from his book's title, Post-American World, is the decline of America. He goes on to say, "[T]he distribution of power is shifting, moving away from American dominance."8 This is merely a euphemism for declining American power, influence, and economic prosperity. He should be more forthright. If Zakaria simply wanted to write a book about the rise of everyone else, then he should have entitled his book The Current Rise of Other Powers. Instead he titled his book The Post-American World. In essence, his book is a tale of a declining America and the ascent of China and India as they fill the void. He also leaves out Brazil and Russia, which make up the remainder of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries and round out the remaining rapidly growing world economies.9

      While Zakaria does a commendable job discussing the history of the non-Western world and its current ascent onto the world stage, he inadequately tells the story of the economic fundamentals affecting us all. He discusses economics in a superficial, bland, non-compelling, and incomplete manner that does not impress upon the reader the seriousness of our national condition. His book is a "one-size fits all," cleverly marketed to the masses. This is, in itself, not an unforgiveable lapse if that reach into the masses could effectuate a rise in national consciousness. It is only through national consciousness that people will take action to bring about positive change in our economic state of affairs. However, Zakaria fails to achieve this. Americans already know we live in a global world and that our children will live in a global world. Nonetheless, we cannot prepare for this interconnected future unless we clearly identify the severe economic problems we are facing and deal with them effectively. If we go back in learned thinking, the doctrine of probabilities states that the future is nothing more than a series of probabilities.10 Zakaria thoroughly describes those alarming probabilities, but does not adequately alert the reader as to why those probabilities are unfolding as they are.

   2. An Incomplete Portrayal of Reality

      Addressing all of the factual areas where Zakaria lacks objectivity or presents an incomplete picture...