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Post American World Essay

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Fareed Zakaria Post American World Book Review Few would disagree that the previous U.S. administration of George W. Bush Jr. plunged America’s international reputation to an all-time low. Even as the country staggers to recover international goodwill under President Barack Obama, a homegrown credit crisis, captured most strikingly in the collapse of several iconic institutions of American industry like Citigroup and General Motors, has brought the U.S. economy to a standstill. Few would doubt that America will eventually recover from both crises. Be that as it may, the unipolar moment, centered on the preeminence of American power, purse, and presence may well and truly be over, or so we are often told. What powers will take the place …show more content…

This new global order, Fareed is quick to remind, has in fact proven remarkably peaceful. While a conclusion that would perhaps be initially met with raised eyebrows, Fareed proceeds to explain this in a manner that makes eminent sense. For instance, he argues that Islamic threat is overrated and that the struggle between governments and terrorists will persist, but with the former holding the upper hand. For instance, he explains, Al Qaeda may have been a movement out to rally the entire Muslim world to jihad against the West, but the many variations within Islam undermine its ability to merge into a single monolithic force. He goes on to suggest that ideological watchdogs have focused so much on jihad rhetoric that they have ceased to take into account the actual Muslim societies - which are frustrated with the fundamentalists, wish for modernity (that allows for dignity and cultural pride), and pursue practical solutions not martyrdom. Equally telling is his explanation for this artificial and unnecessary state of paranoia we live in. The problem, to him, lies in the mismatch between people’s perception and fear of the danger (i.e. war, terrorism, organized violence) that allegedly surrounds them, and the actual reality. This, he argues, can be partly attributed to

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