Every civilization is subject to ascendancy and decline. With the rise of the two great Asian countries, China and India, speculations are being made about the ‘next’ super powers, however its implications on the World politics is still in need of a well comprehension. Fareed Zakaria has put forth a very strong case why China and India will inevitably become global players, expedited by a relative decline of USA, towards a post-American World. While great changes give off much skepticism, the shift of power from the west to east may seem fictitious to many around the world. In such a scenario, this book maps the shift in balance of power in the global arena.
The title of the book sounds alarming initially, but to determine clearly if ‘Post-American‘ world is a harbinger of adversity to the global community is yet to be determined. Though there are many articles and books which talk about the decline of the US, Zakaria has successfully put this idea in a perspective that corroborates the truth and also puts aside false notions. Other similar books to refer on this topic are: Are we Rome? By Cullen Murphy; Why America Failed: The roots of imperial decline by Morris Berman; and Time to Start Thinking by Edward Luce.
What is The Post-American world?
In brief, post-American world means that the USA is not the only pivotal player like it was following the great wars till the beginning of the 21st century. For Zakharia, post-American world is “not about the decline of America but rather about the rise of everyone else”. Post American world symbolizes the relative rise of the others and but not absolute decline of the US. The book centers on how America rose to become the super power and the factors that led to its rise. The “rise of the rest” has never seemed so real till recently.
The “rest” also include non state actors, and shift of power from traditional bodies such as government units. The rise of the rest does put some constraints on the American influence; however, it still remains a single super-power at the politico-military level in the world. Economically, there is an assumption that if the pie expands everybody benefits, but politics is a zero sum game and one always gains at the cost of others.
The US has virtually been the global ‘police’ after the great wars; from ensuring free movement at seas to being the sole torch bearers of the current globalized paradigm. However, the dynamics of power is changing in recent years. The various instances that have challenged American hegemony explain the changes in the status quo. For instance, even countries like India have become very assertive, this can be seen from India’s reaction over the arrest of her diplomat Devyani Khobragade last December, and how intransigent it was in asking for an apology from the US government. Immanuel Wallerstein states that “despite its decline, the United States remains a giant, but a giant with clay feet”.
The dynamism of International Politics
Since Zakaria published this book in 2008, countless events have occurred world-wide. For example, Arab Spring swept across the Arab world of which the Syrian conflict is still continuing. The US signed a nuclear deal with Iran last year. Huge numbers of classified documents were flashed out by Edward Snowden in 2013. Since then, it has come out as a public knowledge on how the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) has been strictly spying on the top political leadership of Germany, France, Mexico and Brazil among others (not to forget, on numerous citizens of these countries as well).
Recently, America averted from getting involved in Syria, may be because it wants to assuage its already sagging popularity around the world for being too interfering in domestic affairs. After the Iran deal, Saudi Arabia is looking at US with suspicion; that can probably explain the sudden increase in military expenditure of Saudi Arabia this year. It has taken over the Britain’s position making it the world's fourth largest defense spender in 2013.
A Non-Western World: “The Challenger and the Ally”
Britain was known as ‘the workshop of the world’ at the peak of its industrial revolution, which is now a title assumed by China. China’s tremendous increase in growth has lifted some 500 million people out of poverty, which is the greatest feat ever achieved by any country in history. China seems to understand well that path to power is “markets, not empires”. Early this year China surpassed US as world's largest trading nation.
But one should not only look at the brighter side of things, it is quiet essential to understand both ends of the story to get a balanced view of the actual reality. There is a general frenzy about the rise of China and its implications for the world, and particularly for the USA. But China’s sustained prosperity also depends on how it manages an ever expanding urban middle class, resentment among ethnic minorities, tensions with neighboring countries, stark economic inequality, and rural poverty.
Another obvious question is, how will assume its position in global system when it becomes the dominant player? Zakaria writes, “China’s awakening is reshaping the economic and political landscape, but it also being shaped by the world into which it is rising”. Likewise, Zack Beauchamp from Think Progress maintains, “China wants to play inside the existing global order’s rules, not change them”. China reaps the benefits of public goods provided by the global paradigm set up virtually by the United States, but does not want to get its hands dirty. It does want to change the current paradigm, because that would mean draining a lot of resources and efforts.
Britain was known as ‘the workshop of the world’ at the peak of its industrial revolution, which is now a title assumed by China. China’s tremendous increase in growth has lifted some 500 million people out of poverty, which is the greatest feat ever achieved by any country in history. China seems to understand well that path to power is “markets, not empires”. Early this year China surpassed US as world's largest trading nation.
But one should not only look at the brighter side of things, it is quiet essential to understand both ends of the story to get a balanced view of the actual reality. There is a general frenzy about the rise of China and its implications for the world, and particularly for the USA. But China’s sustained prosperity also depends on how it manages an ever expanding urban middle class, resentment among ethnic minorities, tensions with neighboring countries, stark economic inequality, and rural poverty.
Another obvious question is, how will assume its position in global system when it becomes the dominant player? Zakaria writes, “China’s awakening is reshaping the economic and political landscape, but it also being shaped by the world into which it is rising”. Likewise, Zack Beauchamp from Think Progress maintains, “China wants to play inside the existing global order’s rules, not change them”. China reaps the benefits of public goods provided by the global paradigm set up virtually by the United States, but does not want to get its hands dirty. It does want to change the current paradigm, because that would mean draining a lot of resources and efforts.
India
The author admits that “While China’s rise is already here and palpable, India’s is still more a tale of the future”. He has written- in some details- the strengths of the Indian economy, the society in general and the government setup. In contrast to Chinese prudence in governance, Indian democratic system of governance “makes for populism, pandering, and delays. But it also makes for long-term stability”. The US has always opposed a single hegemony dominating Europe or Asia. Hence, it got into strategic partnership with India so that balance of power does not tilt solely towards China. This partnership can be seen in Indo-US nuclear deal signed by President Bush in 2008. The fact that the new powers are more strongly asserting their interests is the reality of the post-American world.
Conclusion
The US remains the superpower only in Politico-military front. But in other sectors like industrial, financial, educational, social, and cultural- the concentration is shifting and moving away from American dominance. There is a growing anxiety to US over the rise of China. Many scholars hold a common opinion that as the relative power of China increases, it will try to bend the rules and institutions of International system to benefit itself, hence, there is a possibility that this will create animosity in international politics.
In one of Fareed Zakaria’s interviews he says, “We start living up to our ideals and not just proclaiming them. As power becomes diversified and diffuse, legitimacy becomes even more important because it is the only way to appeal to all the disparate actors on the world stage. Today, no solution, no matter how sensible, is sustainable if it is seen as illegitimate. Imposing it will not work if it is seen as the product of one country's power and preferences, no matter how powerful that country”.
There is an immediate need for US to embrace “a world with a diversity of voices and viewpoints”, rather than dictating its terms without much considerations. Not just being the law maker, it also needs to abide by it so that others are encouraged to play by the rules too. “It is one thing to scare your enemies: another to terrify the rest of the world”, Fareed Zakaria gives very pragmatic suggestions to the US if it is to retain its position as the global leader. Very acutely Zakaria discerns that down in history American will be remembered as a country that globalized the world, but which “forgot to globalize itself”.
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