Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

I'm about half way thru "Post American World"--a little further along than Obama it would seem. Good for him. Now someone get him Dr. Tom's two books. =)

Fair enough, but on the other hand, I'm not sure I want a Presidential candidate reading a book whose theme seems to be that America is destined to be #2 in everything.

if nationalism,or Americanism as some prefer is not the trend and globalization in a liberal trade is order of the day,why so much worry,
about the US power,we will go through globalization like a car wash
and come out clean.in another word, let the chips fall,where it may.
what is good for the ghoose,is good for the gander.But i think,the
stradegy goes somthing like this;if in the race to the bottom,we don't
have the cheapest labor,we make it up by militery force,like invade
Iraq,and other oil reach countries,so to be able to restore US ligitimacy by controling the rest(new core),if that don't work,we go to
cold war in space,and if.....,we.....is that for or against globalization.

Interestingly enough, what I haven't seen anyone suggest is that Obama include Zakaria and Barnett into his cabinet. Why not TB for VP??

I think the candidates for president should watch "The Wizard Of Oz" for insights on the reality they most deal with, the type of players involved, and the lessons they might learn.

The main character is forced into a strange outside world and is preoccupied with getting back to the old secure one.
The three main supporting players agree to help return the main character home in exchange for help with their own problems. One is without a brain, one without a heart, and one without courage.

There is a lot of music and background talk that fits today's world too; like: 'If I Only Had A Brain'; and 'Ignore That Fellow Behind The Curtain Who Is Pulling Levers.'

Eventually the three supporting actors realize that by pulling together through crises they actually had the capacity they thought they lacked. The main character realizes at the end that she had the resources to return home, but her mentor tells her this only after she goes through several experiences along the way and solved problems in that strange outside world for the needs of its people,

The presidential candidates should watch it three times. The first to get the story and appreciate the drama like todays TV news and political chatter. The second to realize the characters are only acting to make points and that even the bad characters can be good actors.

The third time they 'might' just see how the actions and insights of the characters could apply to their own situation.

In response to Pierce Wetter's post: I Haven't finished Zakaria's book yet but I don't think that he's indicating that Amaerica wil be #2. Regardless, I see in the "rise of the rest" a Pluralizing of Powers where America will have at best a Plurality of Power and Influence--meaning more than any other individual nation but not Hegemony. =)

Fareed is diagnosis without much hope--for now. I think he felt he could only accomplish so much in one book, so use this one to shock people out of complacency.

Decent choice.

I think Fareed is gunning for something near the president (he idolizes Kissinger).

I, however, don't feel the same burning (unless I eat Italian too late).

I like being able to move across so many domains with ease, and I like staying married.

right. remember, Tom's on the record: Vonne told him anytime he wants to marry his divorce lawyer and move back to DC, it's ok with her.

Saw Fareed interviewed at the New Yorker Conference 2012- "Stories from the Near Future" held in NYC on May 8 - 9 2008. Video was uploaded on the New Yorker website. Really enjoyed what Fareed said about his book. I plan on getting it this week. I'm glad Obama is reading it. Dr. Barnett said exactly what I was thinking about after watching that video this past Friday. I must be on some sort of Barnett Frequency.

Tickets to the Conference - $2,000 Individual. I only had 999.99 so .. I decided to wait until they had videos online.

Here is the link for Fareed Zakaria. Worth watching this and others. http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/zakaria

Something else to think about, Robert: the Sci-Fi author David Weber once pointed out that academics can make lousy politicians. Not because they're ignorant, but because academic environments tend to be filled with the sorts of petty vendettas and rivalries that are deadly for a seated politician's effectiveness.

I don't know enough academics to be able to judge how vulnerable Barnett would be to this sort of problem, but having to switch to a radically different career would be a pain.