The Rise of the Rest - Post American World

Newsweek ^ | May 4th, 2008 | Fareed Zakaria

[The_Republican]

Americans are glum at the moment. No, I mean really glum. In April, a new poll revealed that 81 percent of the American people believe that the country is on the "wrong track." In the 25 years that pollsters have asked this question, last month's response was by far the most negative. Other polls, asking similar questions, found levels of gloom that were even more alarming, often at 30- and 40-year highs. There are reasons to be pessimistic—a financial panic and looming recession, a seemingly endless war in Iraq, and the ongoing threat of terrorism. But the facts on the ground—unemployment numbers, foreclosure rates, deaths from terror attacks—are simply not dire enough to explain the present atmosphere of malaise.

American anxiety springs from something much deeper, a sense that large and disruptive forces are coursing through the world. In almost every industry, in every aspect of life, it feels like the patterns of the past are being scrambled. "Whirl is king, having driven out Zeus," wrote Aristophanes 2,400 years ago. And—for the first time in living memory—the United States does not seem to be leading the charge. Americans see that a new world is coming into being, but fear it is one being shaped in distant lands and by foreign people.

Look around. The world's tallest building is in Taipei, and will soon be in Dubai. Its largest publicly traded company is in Beijing. Its biggest refinery is being constructed in India. Its largest passenger airplane is built in Europe. The largest investment fund is in Abu Dhabi; the biggest movie industry is Bollywood, not Hollywood. Once quintessentially American icons have been usurped by the natives. The largest Ferris wheel is in Singapore. The largest casino is in Macao, which overtook Las Vegas in gambling revenues last year.

[maine-iac7]

Trying to bolster obamama’s assertions about us bitter people???

Polls results are driven by the way questions are posed. Asked the right way, you could get: “86% of Americans hate Mickey Mouse.”

Let's do a poll right now. Here's the question, yes or no...

DO YOU TRUST POLLS?

[SolidWood]

The world's tallest building is in Taipei, and will soon be in Dubai. Its largest publicly traded company is in Beijing. Its biggest refinery is being constructed in India. Its largest passenger airplane is built in Europe. The largest investment fund is in Abu Dhabi; the biggest movie industry is Bollywood, not Hollywood. Once quintessentially American icons have been usurped by the natives. The largest Ferris wheel is in Singapore. The largest casino is in Macao, which overtook Las Vegas in gambling revenues last year.Wow, let's see... superficialities like the Oil-Sheikhs playing around with expensive toys, Commie nations using cheap slave labor, the Europeans tossing their money into subsidized prestige projects and Indians producing strange music films which are even duller than the Hollyweird crap and some fellas in Asia gambling even more crooked than us... Yeah I fell so dwarfed and threatened. This is called globalization... also of trash. On another note this reminds me of the PR crapola of the Nazis and Soviets. They already tried to show their "superiority" by building the largest tanks and buildings, fastest planes, rockets and trying to reach the highest production numbers. There is nothing new under the sun.

[ExTexasRedhead]

“Americans are really glum...” IMO, give credit to where credit is due. The glum mood of the country is because of the MSM and Liberals!!

[SolidWood]

Oh and BTW... notice it’s a Muslim writing for Newsweak... you know they ran that faux Koran flush story. Trashing America is their daily bread.

[CanadianLibertarian]

Zakaria is bloody brilliant. If there is one thing Americans need from intelligent foreigners, it is a sweeping, penetrating explanation of the outside world, from an American and pro-American perspective.

He is perfectly placed to do this, and Newsweek has shown unusual prescience in placing him as editor for international affairs. I find myself filling a similar role, on a micro-scale, among my pro-freedom, pro-Western acquaintances.

[1035rep]

In April, a new poll revealed that 81 percent of the American people believe that the country is on the "wrong track."

Does anyone actually believe this?  I've seen some pretty bogus polls, this one is beyond ridiculous. Although, maybe he just polled the communist. 

[Grateful One]

What with all the great advances brought about by modern liberal thought, you would think this would not be so.

[Grateful One]

What with all the great advances brought about by modern liberal thought, you would think this would not be so.

[avenir]

Tall buildings, ferris wheels, casinos? Wow. Kind of quaint that those are still a big deal to them.

[DManA]

I love it when these out of touch morons speak for all of us.

[DManA]

The world's tallest building is in Taipei, and will soon be in Dubai.

The bigger the skyscraper the bigger the imminent fall.

[schu]

He is correct, I am upset. But not at others, I am upset at our own leaders, their unwieldiness to address core issues that define our culture. I ask why our leaders standby while we spend ourselves into bankruptcy, why they do not control our very borders, why we let our schools churn out uneducated brats, why they blatantly ignore ours laws and constitution. And the list goes on .....

Yes, I am upset.

schu

[schu]

He is correct, I am upset. But not at others, I am upset at our own leaders and their unwilliness to address core issues that define our culture. I ask why our leaders standby while they spend ourselves into bankruptcy, why they do not control our very borders, why they let our schools churn out uneducated brats, why they blatantly ignore our laws and constitution. And the list goes on .....

Yes, I am upset.

schu

[CRBDeuce]

I was with the author right up until Americans are glum at the moment.

ok, I cheated, I looked at the source...Newsweek!!!...and a middle eastern 'journalist' to boot! What could possibly entice anyone to read this bunk! But here, I think we can fix the whole article....try this:

Practically every Democrat is glum at the moment.

then if you read the article....thinking only of those glum dems, it kinda makes sense....I mean, they lost the surrender, they lost the 'looming recession' (0.6% growth has pretty much never been a recession), they're losing this summer's strike agenda (American Axle union wages are pretty much down the shiiter...from $30/hr+ to $14, $17, and $25.50/hr), and by august, they won't know who to vote for! So, what's not to be glum about, especially if you're a Columbia educated journalist?

[durasell]

Here’s a question — not an argument — just to throw it out there:

You have to look at how many Americans are involved in those overseas ventures. In a global economy, does American ingenuity — not to mention corporate interests — end at the U.S. borders?

[Liberty Valance]

The author has been reading too many MSM and democrat political talking points. The foreign press likes to think America and Americans are all about greed and power. The facts of real America escape them. It's about pride, honor and gratitude for the greatest country on the face of the earth. Seriously.

[stockpirate]

could it be that americans are sick of trying to stop socialism’s advance in our country.
the pols keep misleading us as they sell us down the road

[AnotherUnixGeek]

But the facts on the ground—unemployment numbers, foreclosure rates, deaths from terror attacks—are simply not dire enough to explain the present atmosphere of malaise.

Throw in the relentless negativity and fear-mongering of the mainstream media along with the wild hysteria of the global warming end-of-days cult and maybe you then have an answer.

[muawiyah]

America is on the wrong track when people as morally and mentally bankrupt as Obama and Clinton can be serious contenders for the Democrat nomination.