An Analysis on ‘The Post-American World’

In the history of the world, different nations and states have their own political, economic and sociocultural histories. From these histories, the governments in place have been able to manage and improve the country’s political, economic and social scenes. Governments and states that were once in power a few centuries ago now share power with other states in the global economy. The growth of these states is attributed to the challenges faced in history which they overcame and from that identified another challenge. Continued success in the implementation of problem-solving strategies has led to the development of states or civilizations. In the book ‘The Post-American World’, Fareed Zakaria gives an analysis of the events that have occurred in the past and in the present that have ultimately led to the growth of power, not only in America but in other countries all over the world (Zakaria, 2008). In this essay, a summary and analysis of the first and third chapter of the book will be provided addressing the main points that the author was trying to communicate.

In the first Chapter, ‘The rise of the rest’ the intention of the book is communicated. The author stresses on the book being about the rise of all other states and not the decline of The United States of America (Zakaria, 2008). Economic growth across all other states in the world has been observed over the past few decades. Countries have started trading with each other, investing in projects located in other countries that fuel the development of the investing country (Zakaria, 2008). The author attributes the most observable growth to be in Asia. However, this growth did not stop in Asia alone, rather spread throughout two-thirds of the African continent. Countries that were once struggling are now able to develop or produce large infrastructure, the world’s wealthiest persons and manufacturing procedures recognized worldwide (Zakaria, 2008). For instance, the tallest building located in Taipei, the largest airplane being manufactured in Russia, the richest man in the world comes from Mexico. With continued interaction and trading between these states, there is the development of an international system (Zakaria, 2008). The system allows the emergence of policies, relationships, rivalries, wars and shifting alliances. The chapter also discusses the presence of poverty in the world. Though there has been tremendous growth in the economic sector, poverty is still a global problem that needs to be addressed. However, the author noted that poverty levels continue decreasing with the growth of the economy across the nations, an improvement that is being observed all around the world (Zakaria, 2008).

The third chapter, ‘A non-western world’ utilizes China and India as examples. China was one of the most developed civilizations in the pre-industrial era. The author states that the world has been living in a Westernized world for over half a millennium (Zakaria, 2008). Most of the world has been dormant and focused on itself rather than on globalization. The shift in power during the sixteenth century serves as an example of stagnation of civilization. The inward concentration of both India and Asia slowed down every possible mode of expansion and advancement and consequently led to the decline in power of both states (Zakaria, 2008). The chapter emphasizes that before the preindustrial era, both China and India had advanced in technology than al; European nations (Zakaria, 2008). They concentrated on a show of power. However, this was not the only factor that would lead to the development of a state. The European voyages succeeded the Chinese voyages, and though they were less glamorous, they gathered a lot more information than the Chinese (Zakaria, 2008). The Europeans concentrated on innovation and gathered productive information and resources during their voyages. The Europeans focused on gaining power rather than money and for this overtook the Asians during and after industrialization (Zakaria, 2008).

In modern times, a lot of the developing countries have been concentrating inwardly rather than outwards. Just like China, it has allowed them to fall behind in the global economy and lag regarding technology and economic development. These states have started looking outwards but seem to adopt the nature of the Western people (Zakaria, 2008). The world has adopted a lot of cultures and practices that hailed from the Europeans. They are perceived to be modernized functions, however, on careful consideration, they hail as western practices. Developing countries in this chapter are said to erode their cultures and traditions in a bid to follow the western culture slowly (Zakaria, 2008). In this chapter, the main emphasis is on identifying whether the future will take on a western outlook or a modern outlook (Zakaria, 2008).

As many of the developing countries struggle to find their path to development in the global economy, it is important to identify the route or path which will be utilized. These governments have invested and made partnerships with western governments who in turn are to assist in the development of the country’s economy (Zakaria, 2008). The book raises several issues and concerns that are to be addressed by governments seeking to improve the economic position of the country in the global perspective. The major concern is whether the countries will retain their traditions and cultures or whether they will adopt that of the western countries who have now converted modernization to have their face (Zakaria, 2008). The argument in this chapter, in my opinion, is valid. Most of the developing countries have had an erosion of culture where they are now in sync with the westerner's view. Governments continue to adopt ideas, policies and other functions from the western governments and adopting them into their local countries (Zakaria, 2008). Today, the move perpetrated by the western people is what is termed as modern. For instance, where the western people convert or come up with certain trends in technology advancement, clothing, production processes or government policies, developing countries follow suit (Zakaria, 2008). For this reason, developing countries continue to lag in the world economy.

These two chapters provide an insight into the problems that are currently being experienced in the world and the reason why different countries are still held up in specific positions. Understanding the history of other states and the actions that led them to where they are is important when trying to identify the best move forward. Most of the developing countries share similar histories as China and India during the preindustrial times. However, the change and the moves made by China in the past years should serve as an example on how best to progress. I agree with the views of the two chapters.

Reference

Zakaria, F. (2008). The Post-American World . United States of America: W.W. Norton & Company.