On Obama reading the Post-American world...a review I did of that book 2.5 years ago

[Bambino Machievelli]

Steven Pearce
December 8, 2009
American Foreign Policy
Dr. Haanstad
America in the Crossroads

The United States is now in the crossroads of her destiny. In an ever changing world where the global community is starting to catch up as well as surpassing America in many categories, decisions need to be made. Whatever decisions are made will have long lasting ramifications locally and globally for years to come. America must decide wisely.

In many places of the world we have been surpassed in elementary education, manufacturing, and financially. We have had an about face in the global view due to our unilateral position on Iraq after 9/11. The world was not pleased with former Bush’s cowboy politics. We were seen as bullies and made many of our friends fearful of us and also made some enemies of our allies. In fighting the monster of terrorism we have become the monster.

Even though the United States lost some of her luster in the International Communities’ eyes, we are still seen as the beacon of hope. Foreigners till come to the United States in droves as immigrants trying to live the American dream. America is still seen as the land of opportunity and promise; the promise that if you work hard, you can be successful and make something of yourself.

Ever since WWII, American Foreign Policy was committed to spreading this ideal of democracy and capitalism around the world. Immediately after WWII, a new enemy emerged, the enemy of the Communist ideology. It was seen as the antithesis of what America stood for. So as Communism was rearing her ugly head and making fearful allies, the United States was committed to spreading Democracy and Capitalism and making her allies love her.

America did not realize how good of a job she was doing. The rest of the world caught on, many good students in the international arena. They all wanted to be part of the game and as Fareed Zakaria said, “They are playing to win.” As a result of this increased competition that has arisen as a result of Democracy and Capitalism, the United States has a new opportunity. That is of being the continued global leader of a world which is no longer dependent on the world for its wealth. There are combining currencies and blocks, nations working with each other. It is an exciting time for the rest of the world but scary times for Americans who are fearful of losing her dominate position in the World’s arena. Uncertainty breeds fear, and Americans are in a state of fear.

Two authors have written books about this phenomenon. Fareed Zakaria is one. He is the author of The Post American World, which was a New York Times bestseller. It is a critically acclaimed look at the United States future role in shaping the politics of the World, in an International Arena filled with rising Nationalism mixed with Globalization.

After Iraq: The Imperiled American Imperium, is a book written by both Charles W. Kegley, Jr. and Gregory A. Raymond. There view is not as optimistic as Zakarias but still they see potential in our nation’s future.

Zakaria’s main concern that he stresses is that we need to continue being that shining beacon that everyone looks up to. Americans need to not lose sight of what our country stands for. The ideas of our country, our ideals give people hope and something to believe in. He argues that Asia does not want to live under the rule of China, what do they stand for? (234)

America is still seen as the land of opportunity. Zakaria points out that it is our ideals and not our military power that gives us legitimacy. When the Chinese students at Tiananmen Square protested the Chinese government, it was not an F-16 that they displayed, but an image of the statue of Liberty. (250)

In order for the United States to regain its stature, Zakaria believes that the United States needs to regain her confidence. In an era of 24 hour over-sensationalized news, politicians clamoring for votes by presenting the big bad evil growing Muslim Empire, keeping the American public in a state of fear, we are ignoring the growing economic challenge of nations like China, India and Brazil who indeed are gaining in prestige, economic wealth, and technological advances.

As the lone super-power we need to make choices in whom we are and where we want to go. We need to show the world that we are ready and willing to lead, without any fear to the threat of terrorism. Politicians are constantly keeping Americans fearful of not only Muslims overseas but also in the United States. Zakaria points out that Mitt Romney asked if the American Mosques are being wiretapped, if they are being watched. According to Zakaria, this fear tactic is useless rhetoric. American Muslims have a very strong foundation and belief in the American way of life and doing well for themselves financially. According to a Pew Research Center study made in 2007, Zakaria points out, “More than 70% of American Muslims believe that if you work hard in America, you get ahead. That is higher than the American mainstream figure of 64%.” (254)

Kegley and Raymond are not nearly as optimistic in their outlook for America’s future. They not only point out that other countries are catching up and surpassing America in many fields, but that we have lost face in the International community. They do however feel that America can take the initiative to be friendlier I guess you can say to emerging powers so that they do not hold our past discrepancies against us. Kegley and Raymond believe that it is inevitable that America will lose her place on top of the International power chain and that it can happen much sooner than Americans realize.

As a result they say America has three general choices of action: America can act unitarily; it can develop specialized bilateral alliances; or it can engage in some form of broad, multilateral collaboration with many nations. (132)

They believe that unilateral policies are unlikely in a mutipolar future. Due to the frustration in the war on Iraq many countries on the International community want less American interaction in her commitments. (132) GWB’s push of U.S. unilateralism in the Iraq war has been damaging to the United States and her image.

Multilateralism can be a viable option they argue, but due to the shattered image of the Iraqi War, they believe this can be difficult to be obtained. The way to do so would be through working with other nations and establishing their security for him. (136)

The best thing that America can do, they argue, is to go back to our lost liberal heritage. Our forefathers believed that the leaders of foreign nations could not be trusted because they have their own agendas; instead, we need to rule by setting the best example. (136) We need to recover our American diplomatic tradition. In order to do this they argue that, “The United States must build reciprocity-based trust among today’s ascending world powers that may someday become America’s peer competitors in a multipolar system. By engaging rather than attempting to segregate those rising powers, and by integrating them within a restrictive normative order that appeals to universal interests, the United States can avoid hard-line policies that will eventually lead each side to square off with each other.” (138-139) They believe that by doing this that the U.S. can prevent military conflicts with other rising powers that Kegley and Raymond argue is inevitable when one power is rising and another is stagnant or falling.

Zakaria believes that America has a few strengths that will allow her to get over her potentially place. One is that the United States has an economic system that is adjustable. Her economy has been strong for 150 years and is always able to support her and what is thrown at her. This argument is made when he says, “The American economy, and American society…are capable of responding to the economic pressures and competition that they face. They can adjust, adapt, and persevere. (214)

Another strength of the American system Zakaria adds, is the investment into our higher education. Where other nations just simply teach students to regurgitate information and test well; American universities teach students to think critically, to problem solve. 17 of the top 20 universities worldwide are American Zakaria says. Parents from around the world want to send their children to the United States for their higher education.

Our elementary system is not faring as well. We do not test as high as other countries on math and science. This is due to the inequality of the education systems that are in the urban inner-city areas where most ethnic minority students are. In the areas where is it upper-middle class, American students score just as high as any country in the world. This inequality is due to how our system is set up, and the United States has a huge discrepancy between the rich and poor.

A strength Zakaria points out that gives America strength is our open border policy. Our willingness to let people from other societies and cultures move here and live here constantly gives us another infusion of people ready to work hard to live the American dream. Where other countries have a closed border policy and work toward preventing migrations, the United States attracts the best of the best from foreign nations. This prevents our society from being stagnant due to complicity. As long as people are working towards obtaining the American dream it keeps us strong and vital.

Americans are constantly being kept in a state of fear, which is eating away at our innate American spirit of optimism. With the fear of all these immigrant Mexicans, teenage pregnancy, terrorists, all these other countries hate us, America has a victim mentality. This constant state of fear is what is hindering American progress and causing her to act irrationally in the International community.

Americans also do not take the time in learning about other people and cultures. They do not learn to speak other foreign languages. In a world where a huge amount of the population learns to speak English it is felt by many Americans that we do not need to. But the areas in countries like Brazil where American businesses need to market to they do not learn Portuguese but foreign businesses have people who do speak the local language.

Another problem Americans are facing according to Zakaria are the politicians. They are too busy showboating in order to get reelected and focusing on domestic issues and not paying attention to international trends and happenings which are allowing for nations to develop at a remarkable pace. Zakaria believes that politicians talk a good talk but have no action to support their talk. He says, “The real test for the United States is political-and it rests not just with America at large but with politicians. Can Washington adapt and adjust to a world that has moved up? Can it respond to shifts in economic and political power? This challenge is even more difficult in foreign policy than in domestic policy. Can Washington truly embrace a World with a diversity of voices and viewpoints? Can it thrive in a world it cannot dominate?” (214)

Kegley and Raymond believe that the strength in the United States lies in its military. We have the strongest military force in the history of the World and yet it is a very small part of our GDP. Our military budget is very small compared to our GDP. This is due to our tremendous economic strength.

They also believe that our strength is in our former attitude of trying to be a shining example to the rest of the world. They believe wholeheartedly in American exceptionalism, that she can guide the world in where it needs to be. In order to do this, America must get back to her roots of liberalism. We should not try and fight everyone’s battles for them. Instead we should be a guide to the rest of the World to show them how they should be.

The optimism for America’s future is not nearly as strong as their pessimism towards our future. There are five categorical problems in which America needs to be aware and take heed of. The first is that America’s security goals do not mesh with America’s military capability. The two wars we are in, Afghanistan and Iraq have stretched our Military thin. The second is that the cost of war in Iraq was far higher than we previously thought it would be. This is putting a train on our economy. The U.S. economic engine is idling while others is speeding. We are in an economic crisis due to our growing federal debt owed to national powers. These same powers are increasing their economies at America’s expense. The fourth is that America’s educational system is lagging far behind many of its economic competitors. They argue that America needs to invest more in her educational system. Finally, fears about terrorist attacks have spawned security policies that threaten to erode American civil liberties and International Humanitarian law. When the United States acts on its own to fight terrorists and images of torture in International prisons are seen, this digs away at our legitimacy. Also, with the advent of the Patriot Act and similar new legislation our civil liberties are being eroded, and weaken our constitution, which is the symbolic strength and foundation of our country. (133-134)

Zakaria I believe is more conservative in his view. He understands that other nations are very nationalistic and are for themselves, that they want to be part of the game. At the same time he understands that they want to work for their interests, and it is in their interests to work with the United States. The Balance of Power is shifting, and this is part of nation-states being for themselves and working towards fulfilling and obtaining their common interests, maintaining sovereignty and competing economically on an international scale.

Kegley and Raymond are more liberal in their approach. They believe it is inevitable that the other nations surpass the United States and see a more of an International Order forming. They want to see the United States at the head of this order, but their will be mutual cooperation amongst nation-states. There is also some conservatism mixed in with their prediction that the fight for Balance of Power can lead to military conflicts like with powerful nation-states of the past fighting with their competitors in order to remain on top. This all alludes to that famous saying, “Only one thing is certain and that is nothing is certain.”

[Bambino Machievelli]

This is what the unread right-wingers said:

This picture will stun you

If each person sends this to a minimum of 20 people on their address list, in three days,
all people in The United States of America would have the message.
I believe this is one proposal that really should be passed around.
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THIS WILL CURDLE YOUR BLOOD AND CURL YOUR HAIR

Description: cid:image001.jpg@01CCB96D.4D1AFD50

The name of the book Obama is reading is called: The Post-American World, and it was written by a fellow Muslim.

"Post" America means the World After America ! , Please forward this picture to everyone you know, conservative or liberal. , Democrat or Republican, Folks we need to be aware of what our president is thinking--or planning
We must expose Obama's radical ideas and his intent to bring down our beloved America!

By: Kelly Barham

[Bambino Machievelli]

[Bambino Machievelli]

The reason for the post is to show the widespread panic and hysteria that can be spread due to people not reading and just making assumptions.  This is very dangerous and I believe we have too many Americans that will just jump to conclusions.