The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order 1st Edition

by Parag Khanna (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-1400065080

ISBN-10: 1400065089

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Grand explanations of how to understand the complex twenty-first-century world have all fallen short–until now. In The Second World, the brilliant young scholar Parag Khanna takes readers on a thrilling global tour, one that shows how America’s dominant moment has been suddenly replaced by a geopolitical marketplace wherein the European Union and China compete with the United States to shape world order on their own terms.

This contest is hottest and most decisive in the Second World: pivotal regions in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and East Asia. Khanna explores the evolution of geopolitics through the recent histories of such underreported, fascinating, and complicated countries as Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Libya, Vietnam, and Malaysia–nations whose resources will ultimately determine the fate of the three superpowers, but whose futures are perennially uncertain as they struggle to rise into the first world or avoid falling into the third.

Informed, witty, and armed with a traveler’s intuition for blending into diverse cultures, Khanna mixes copious research with deep reportage to remake the map of the world. He depicts second-world societies from the inside out, observing how globalization divides them into winners and losers along political, economic, and cultural lines–and shows how China, Europe, and America use their unique imperial gravities to pull the second-world countries into their orbits. Along the way, Khanna also explains how Arabism and Islamism compete for the Arab soul, reveals how Iran and Saudi Arabia play the superpowers against one another, unmasks Singapore’s inspirational role in East Asia, and psychoanalyzes the second-world leaders whose decisions are reshaping the balance of power. He captures the most elusive formula in international affairs: how to think like a country.

In the twenty-first century, globalization is the main battlefield of geopolitics, and America itself runs the risk of descending into the second world if it does not renew itself and redefine its role in the world.

Comparable in scope and boldness to Francis Fukuyama’s The End of History and the Last Man and Samuel P. Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Parag Khanna’s The Second World will be the definitive guide to world politics for years to come.

“A savvy, streetwise primer on dozens of individual countries that adds up to a coherent theory of global politics.”
–Robert D. Kaplan, author of Eastward to Tartary and Warrior Politics

“A panoramic overview that boldly addresses the dilemmas of the world that our next president will confront.”
–Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security advisor

"Parag Khanna's fascinating book takes us on an epic journey around the multipolar world, elegantly combining historical analysis, political theory, and eye-witness reports to shed light on the battle for primacy between the world's new empires."
–Mark Leonard, Executive Director, European Council on Foreign Relations

"Khanna, a widely recognized expert on global politics, offers an study of the 21st century's emerging "geopolitical marketplace" dominated by three "first world" superpowers, the U.S., Europe and China... The final pages of his book warn eloquently of the risks of imperial overstretch combined with declining economic dominance and deteriorating quality of life. By themselves those pages are worth the price of a book that from beginning to end inspires reflection."
–Publishers Weekly

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Khanna, a widely recognized expert on global politics, offers an study of the 21st century's emerging geopolitical marketplace dominated by three first world superpowers, the U.S., Europe and China. Each competes to lead the new century, pursuing that goal in the third world: select eastern European countries, east and central Asia, the Middle East Latin America, and North Africa. The U.S. offers military protection and aid. Europe offers deep reform and economic association. China offers full-service, condition-free relationships. Each can be appealing; none has obvious advantages. The key to Khanna's analysis, however, is his depiction of a second world: countries in transition. They range in size and population from heavily peopled states like Brazil and Indonesia to smaller ones such as Malaysia. Khanna interprets the coming years as being shaped by the race to win the second world—and in the case of the U.S., to avoid becoming a second-world country itself. The final pages of his book warn eloquently of the risks of imperial overstretch combined with declining economic dominance and deteriorating quality of life. By themselves those pages are worth the price of a book that from beginning to end inspires reflection. (Mar. 11)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“A fascinating, colorful, and always intelligent tour through a new world.”
–Fareed Zakaria

“A savvy, streetwise primer on dozens of individual countries that adds up to a coherent theory of global politics.”
–Robert D. Kaplan

“Confident in his predictions and bold in his recommendations . . . Khanna’s book is written with ambition, scope, and verve that sets it apart from the usual foreign policy tome.”
–Andrei Cherny, The New York Sun

“A panoramic overview that boldly addresses the dilemmas of the world that our next president will confront.”
–Zbigniew Brzezinski

“Khanna is something of a foreign policy whiz kid.”
–Raymond Bonner, The New York Times Book Review

“[A] sweeping, often audacious survey of contemporary geopolitics . . . moves at lightning speed.”
–William Grimes, The New York Times

From the Trade Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (March 4, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400065089
ISBN-13: 978-1400065080
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.3 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 59 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,774,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2990 in International Relations (Books)
- #12247 in Technology (Books)
- #2958 in Globalization & Politics

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Nestor

A very good description of the world today

May 9, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is now 10 years old but the description of the state of the world is still valid today (2018). We are not obliged to share the philosophy and the predictions of Parag Khanna but we must acknowledge its very good knowledge of the world.
After reading this book you must absolutely read ‘Connectography’ from the same Parag Khanna. You will then experience a real shock when you will discover what is really going in your back in the world of today aside of the ‘politics’. ‘Connectography’ is really a must read.
After reading ‘Connectography’ you will not look to the world the same way than before.

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Izaak VanGaalen

The Geopolitical Marketplace

April 26, 2008

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Parag Khanna of the New America Foundation draws his inspiration from Arnold Toynbee's 12-volume history of the world. Toynbee wrote his books first, and then embarked on a trip around the world to check the acurracy of his work. Khanna, however, did it the other way around: he spent two years travelling to forty countries, talking to people and getting a first-hand look at the facts on the ground, then writing this book. The result makes this volume a very pleasurable read, mixing policy recommendations, historical analysis, and traveller's eye for local color.

Khanna argues that there will be three superpowers in the 21st century - China, the European Union, and the United States. He sometimes calls them empires as in the subtitle of the book, but that term is confusing since the Big Three will not resemble the empires of old. These superpowers will have their own unique approach for extending their power and influence. The main objectives of the Big Three are essentially the same: they want to be in the good graces of energy- and resource-rich second-tier countries such as those of the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Khanna calls this the second world. And as more and more countries become nuclear, military muscle becomes less of a tool. The superpowers are developing non-military means to win allies and influence. According to Khanna, winning in the 21st century will not take place in the battlefield but in the geopolitical marketplace.

Of the three, Khanna finds the European model the most attractive. The European practice of offering the prospect of membership in the world's richest market is a very powerful incentive for countries to reform themselves and comply with EU standards. Europe has successfully assimilated many countries on its periphery. Khanna, however, glosses over Europe's problems, such as an ageing population and unassimilated minorities.

Khanna also speaks glowingly of the rising influence of China. By the shear thrust of their economic growth, China has been able to buy friends and influence in the second world. And with their indifference to human rights, they acquire some very unsavory friends. This practice however, is now backfiring as people everywhere are rallying for Tibetans as the Olympics approach. Khanna's praise for "Asian values" amounts to accepting enlightened despotism.

The most scorn, however, is reserved for the United States. With the war in Iraq in its fifth year, America is starting to look like an overstretched empire and an object of global resentment. He excoriates America for neglecting its poor as well as its physical and financial health. This may hold some truth at the present, but Khanna has forgotten that America is resilient and has a great capacity to renew itself.

Critics of Khanna, however, should not write him off as anti-American or a pessimist. At the end of the book, he has a long list of recommendations for transforming the military-industrial complex into a diplomatic-industrial complex. He would like to see the resources that we now invest in the Pentagon go to the State Department. A new muscular foreign service is needed to further American interests and make globalization work for us. If this book sounds like it's written by an international relations graduate student, that's because it is.

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Molly Mitchell

I really don't see how this guy is still writing ...

September 30, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I really don't see how this guy is still writing. Nearly all of his predictions have turned out to be wrong. A lot of this seems extremely naive and not rooted in anything historical or even logical.

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Laurence Zimmerman

An Entertaining Read, but Sometimes Gets Ahead of Itself

May 31, 2010

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Even though this book was published in 2009(the paperback edition), it is already somewhat out of date. Recent events in Europe show that the EU for the foreseeable future will not expand. In fact, the debate is whether the EU can exist in it's current form, or whether or not it's two essential members, France and Germany decide to abandon it.

I felt that his analysis of the countries that I have lived in or visited seemed to be mostly accurate. I did however not some minor factual errors. He states that Argentina has the highest per capita concentration of psychiatrists, when that distinction belongs to Argentina's neighbor Uruguay. In addition, he states that there are ten million foreign workers in Saud Arabia. I used to work in Saudi Arabia and know that the Saudi government seldom realizes population numbers, so any number would be a guess. That being said, I have never seen such a high estimate for the Saudi foreign workforce.

I agree with others that Mr. Khanna downplays the internal problems of both China and the EU while overplaying those of the United States. As others have stated Europe will be faced with an extreme demographic disaster. Countries like the UK, France and Germany are experiencing massive immigration plus high birthrates for the members of these immigrant groups. Europe's failure to successfully integrate these populations (even though some are third generation) will continue to become a much larger problem.

In regards to China, he fails to mention that civil unrest appears to be on the rise in China. Protests are now so common that they almost seem uncountable. In addition, as more and more Chinese travel outside of China, they will certainly see more "free" societies and desire to have such freedoms implemented in their own countries.

While according to the GINI coefficient inequality in the United States has been steadily growing for the last several decades, Mr. Khanna fails to mention that crime has fallen dramatically in the United States since the early 90's. While there are several factors that account for this decrease in crime, is once again seems to show "American Exceptional ism." Mr. Khanna also fails to see that the growing population of the United States, it's geographical advantages and relatively low income tax rate could contribute to a brighter future.

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Adam Bender

Good background on the interaction and roles nations play in the global community

August 25, 2019

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Author is well versed in geopolitics and forecasts the future of the world that if the three superpowers he identifies as the U.S., the E.U., and China don’t learn to cooperate and work together on mutual interests, the world will continue to be mired in conflicts.

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