Xyle Michael Alido
3-Bpl
The Rise of the Rest
The author, Fareed Zakaria, started the idea of writing the book when he went to travel to
Singapore. The taxi driver asked and told him about Singapore having the gigantic Ferris Wheel
in the world. In his realization, the title holder for the largest Ferris Wheel was once the United
States. In fact, the U.S. held all titles long before other countries began to develop their
economies. The U.S. is no longer competitive with other nations, but according to Zakaria, they
are still the leading cause of development worldwide.
Fareed Zakaria argues in his book that for the United States to remain competitive, it must
reevaluate its global role in light of the fact that other nations' rising prosperity is transforming
the world. According to Zakaria, the United States is falling behind other industrialized nations
in several key areas that indicate future economic growth: education, workforce development,
and the promotion of new energy and digital infrastructure to assist employees. He predicts
that the United States will soon enter a "post-American" era in which the other nations will
significantly diminish the country's influence, and the rest of the world will have caught up to
it.
The U.S. isn't making changes for their state; that's why it seems they are falling behind in terms
of development in their natural setting. While the other countries are creating new buildings
and attractions, the U.S. is stuck with their plain old creations that have been the same as before.
The difficulty, according to Zakaria, is not that the United States has become weaker; it is that
now, large numbers of individuals outside the United States, a previously unrecognized power,
are catching up everywhere. According to Zakaria, the "rising of the rest" is a crucial
phenomenon of the early 21st century. It will provide numerous new difficulties to government
and higher education, and require the United States to engage in global problem-solving, as
national answers will no longer suffice.
In addition, the author discusses the Rise of the Rest and non-state actors. Zakaria points out
that the positive effects of global economic stability and the rise of economies worldwide are not
felt in the political realm. The empowerment of groups and individuals has led them to
undermine hierarchy, control, and centralization. They are sharing government activities with
international organizations such as the WTO, and the E.U. NGOs are increasing everywhere
and say that nation-states are losing influence. In such an environment, state power's traditional
economic and military applications have become less effective. He also uses the increasing
number of non-American players at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament to illustrate the
quickening speed of globalization.
Zakaria cautioned Americans and American educators in a wide-ranging conversation that
followed his presentation to not overreact to global trends. He admitted that it is challenging to
maintain a steady course between traditional American triumphalism and dread and panic, but
he urged against doing so. People shouldn't lose their cool and freak out, but they also can't
deny the reality of these forces. These international students highly sought after a degree from
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an American university since it serves as a kind of seal of acceptance. Thy good name should be
put to good use, for it will not stay forever.
In my opinion, I see that the U.S. is still one of the leading countries that influences all nations.
Although, they are also at risk of losing ideas in the near future of having too many ideas
created in recent years. On virtually every indicator of national strength, the United States is far
out in front. Even though China is the only major competitor, the United States still has three
times China's wealth and five times China's military might. Even in the worst-case scenario for
the United States, it would take decades to close that deficit. However, there is a risk of
experiencing brain drain as a result of having too many innovations for the past 63 years. The
U.S. is at risk of brain drain because of the consistent release of ideas that could eventually run
out because there are also developing countries that have new ideas now and then. Even
though it may seem like a competition, one should not use developing countries as a basis for
geopolitical competition. The most important thing right now is all nations should unite to
create a world that everyone will be comfortable living in. All should not compete for
development and should not see that one should be higher than the other. Yes, the U.S. was
once the leading country for everything, but it doesn't mean they are falling behind. They are
still one of the most influential countries that every nation looks up to.
The book is beneficial in guiding what Americans should do in order to keep their state in
shape, but I personally disagree that the U.S. is falling behind in development. As you can tell
with your devices, most technological advances come from the U.S., always with new
inventions that everyone on Earth uses. In fact, if the United States continues along these lines,
it will remain a vital element of a unique global blend, provided that its politics, international
reputation, and aspirations are compatible with it. They are at risk, but we keep forgetting that
the world and the people living in it continually advance in terms of needs and wants, which
also comes with innovation. There will always be something new to help everyone live
comfortably and efficiently. The U.S. will never be a competitor in development because they
are the leader in it. It is also true that other countries are developing, and that is because of the
influence of the Americans that drives them to create more ideas. We cannot assume the
ongoing global leadership of the United States, but a relapse into individualism is not
inevitable. We have the chance – and, in our view, the responsibility – to defend those
components of the global system that operate in the twenty-first century while modifying those
that do not.
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