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A Bit of The Post-American World 2.0
Sep. 13th, 2011 08:53 pmIn fits and snatches between research for Arizona I've been reading Fareed Zakaria's newly revised The Post-American World (subtitled Release 2.0) and finding it not only intriguing but possibly prophetic. It's clear to me that people who accuse the book of being anti-American haven't actually read it; Zakaria is pro-American (offering advice on how America could maintain economic prominence in the world, for instance), as well as pro-democracy and pro-capitalism.
What he is charting--with facts rather than editorializing, though this doesn't seem to matter to the unreading naysayers--is the rise of "the rest", Second and even Third World countries which are steadily gaining greater economic prosperity and in many cases deeper democracy (though he also discusses places like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia as well). He demonstrates that these countries are using capitalist and more often than not democratic models as initially used by the United States--but increasingly figuring out different ways on their own since the Great Recession started--along with increasing nationalism to lift themselves to a greater economic status, and with it greater political power.
One passage that particularly struck me stood out because, admittedly, it's something I've been thinking for the last three years now:
"The irony is that the rise of the rest is a consequence of American ideas and actions. For sixty years, American politicians and diplomats have traveled around the world pushing countries to open their markets, free up their politics, and embrace trade and technology. We have urged peoples in distant lands to take up the challenge of competing in the global economy, freeing up their currencies, and developing new industries. We counseled them to be unafraid of change and learn the secrets of our success. And it worked: the natives have gotten good at capitalism. But now we are becoming suspicious of the very things we have long celebrated--free markets, trade, immigration, and technological change. And all this is happening when the tide is going our way. Just as the world is opening up, America is closing down."
I think this summarizes the core of America's problems right now. Fear: Fear-mongering from politicians, from the media (mainstream and otherwise), from corporations, and a variety of other sources. The more we fear the more insular we become, while (and Zakaria provides numerous examples of this) the world outside the U.S., Britain, and the E.U. is booming economically because it's becoming less insulated. And for multinational corporations it's turning into a feedback loop. He points out that while the U.S. economy is seeing 2-3% annual growth much of the rest of the newly interconnected world is plugging away at 10-15%, so that, as an example, "the quintessentially American" Coca-Cola now makes 80% of its revenue overseas.
While he doles out blame to both Obama (for adding $4 trillion to the already $10 trillion debt) and G.W. Bush (for "chest-thumping machismo"), he lays the primary fault at the feet of an "irresponsible national political culture", which also includes the rampantly irresponsible behavior of Wall Street and investment banks who believed in perpetual growth and ever-mounting debt, while people across the country are simultaneously becoming more out of touch with the rest of the world.
His solution? Simple-sounding but surprisingly hard to enact because of the short term pain it would cause in a country whose government and corporations have taught themselves to focus on short term gain: Just go back to American principles. The free market, democracy, embracing innovation. This can mean lower taxes and more deregulation,while also encouraging things like more immigration. He means loosening the vise we've placed on ourselves and tried placing on other countries.
Zakaria concedes that one way or another, some of our economic dominance is going to slip if only because so many other countries are much more economically successful now than they used to be. The choice facing us at this point is whether the superpower slips a little bit or utterly crashes.
"America has succeeded," Zakaria writes, "not because of the ingenuity of its government programs but because of the vigor of its society. It has thrived because it has kept itself open to the world--to goods and services, to ideas and inventions, and, above all, to people and cultures. The openness has allowed us to respond quickly and flexibly to new economic times, to manage change and diversity with remarkable ease, and to push forward the boundaries of individual freedom and autonomy. It has allowed America to create the first universal nation, a place where people from all over the world can work, mingle, mix, and share in a comon dream and a common destiny."
So there you go. Shouldn't be that hard, should it? Let's start by ignoring the fear-mongers, wherever they may crop up, and have an open-eyed look at what's going on all around us.
What he is charting--with facts rather than editorializing, though this doesn't seem to matter to the unreading naysayers--is the rise of "the rest", Second and even Third World countries which are steadily gaining greater economic prosperity and in many cases deeper democracy (though he also discusses places like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia as well). He demonstrates that these countries are using capitalist and more often than not democratic models as initially used by the United States--but increasingly figuring out different ways on their own since the Great Recession started--along with increasing nationalism to lift themselves to a greater economic status, and with it greater political power.
One passage that particularly struck me stood out because, admittedly, it's something I've been thinking for the last three years now:
"The irony is that the rise of the rest is a consequence of American ideas and actions. For sixty years, American politicians and diplomats have traveled around the world pushing countries to open their markets, free up their politics, and embrace trade and technology. We have urged peoples in distant lands to take up the challenge of competing in the global economy, freeing up their currencies, and developing new industries. We counseled them to be unafraid of change and learn the secrets of our success. And it worked: the natives have gotten good at capitalism. But now we are becoming suspicious of the very things we have long celebrated--free markets, trade, immigration, and technological change. And all this is happening when the tide is going our way. Just as the world is opening up, America is closing down."
I think this summarizes the core of America's problems right now. Fear: Fear-mongering from politicians, from the media (mainstream and otherwise), from corporations, and a variety of other sources. The more we fear the more insular we become, while (and Zakaria provides numerous examples of this) the world outside the U.S., Britain, and the E.U. is booming economically because it's becoming less insulated. And for multinational corporations it's turning into a feedback loop. He points out that while the U.S. economy is seeing 2-3% annual growth much of the rest of the newly interconnected world is plugging away at 10-15%, so that, as an example, "the quintessentially American" Coca-Cola now makes 80% of its revenue overseas.
While he doles out blame to both Obama (for adding $4 trillion to the already $10 trillion debt) and G.W. Bush (for "chest-thumping machismo"), he lays the primary fault at the feet of an "irresponsible national political culture", which also includes the rampantly irresponsible behavior of Wall Street and investment banks who believed in perpetual growth and ever-mounting debt, while people across the country are simultaneously becoming more out of touch with the rest of the world.
His solution? Simple-sounding but surprisingly hard to enact because of the short term pain it would cause in a country whose government and corporations have taught themselves to focus on short term gain: Just go back to American principles. The free market, democracy, embracing innovation. This can mean lower taxes and more deregulation,while also encouraging things like more immigration. He means loosening the vise we've placed on ourselves and tried placing on other countries.
Zakaria concedes that one way or another, some of our economic dominance is going to slip if only because so many other countries are much more economically successful now than they used to be. The choice facing us at this point is whether the superpower slips a little bit or utterly crashes.
"America has succeeded," Zakaria writes, "not because of the ingenuity of its government programs but because of the vigor of its society. It has thrived because it has kept itself open to the world--to goods and services, to ideas and inventions, and, above all, to people and cultures. The openness has allowed us to respond quickly and flexibly to new economic times, to manage change and diversity with remarkable ease, and to push forward the boundaries of individual freedom and autonomy. It has allowed America to create the first universal nation, a place where people from all over the world can work, mingle, mix, and share in a comon dream and a common destiny."
So there you go. Shouldn't be that hard, should it? Let's start by ignoring the fear-mongers, wherever they may crop up, and have an open-eyed look at what's going on all around us.
