Is America Walking Blindly into the Present Century?
What’s the Latest Development?
The hard truth is this: With 3 percent of the world’s population, the US can no longer expect to run the world. This is because Asia, which has 60 percent of the global population, no longer has an underperforming economy. “But the belief that America is the only virtuous country, the sole beacon of light in a dark and unstable world, continues to shape many Americans’ worldview,” says Kishore Mahbubani of the National University of Singapore. “American intellectuals’ failure to challenge these ideas—and to help the US population shed complacent attitudes based on ignorance—perpetuates a culture of coddling the public.”
What’s the Big Idea?
Asia’s middle class, which currently consists of roughly 500 million people, is set to skyrocket to 1.75 billion people by 2020. Along with this shift will come national and regional efforts to secure more resources abroad, meaning a stronger diplomatic and political presence on the international stage. “[But] the US should recognize that Asian countries are seeking not to dominate the West, but to emulate it. They seek to build strong and dynamic middle classes and to achieve the kind of peace, stability, and prosperity that the West has long enjoyed.”
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