The Post-American World

The world is witnessing the end of American dominance according to The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria.

So why are we entering what Zakaria says is the third power shift in the past 500 years? Because world economies have shown the greatest gains ever in the past 20 years, something he calls "the rise of the rest." So-called "developing countries" have shown remarkable growth:

In 2006 and 2007, 124 countries grew at a rate of 4 percent or more. That includes more than 30 countries in Africa, two-thirds of the continent," writes Zakaria.

These findings coincide with an earlier cultivation's link to a lively statistics lecture about third world myths. In it, researcher Hans Rosling argues that developing countries have pulled themselves out of poverty more than we think—and he has the facts to back it.

Is it too optimistic to believe these findings are good news? I love my country, but competition from all over the world means will be constantly pressed to keep up—meaning better overall performance. To be fearful of these changing times is to be somewhat hypocritical. We are the beacon of capitalism. Are we really going to be afraid of competition after years of dominance? Or are we going to be a leader in setting higher standards?