What do you think?
Rate this book
Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World
Lenin once said, “There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen.� This is one of those times when history has sped up. CNN host and best-selling author Fareed Zakaria helps readers to understand the nature of a post-pandemic world: the political, social, technological, and economic impacts that may take years to unfold.
In the form of ten straightforward “lessons,� covering topics from globalization and threat-preparedness to inequality and technological advancement, Zakaria creates a structure for readers to begin thinking beyond the immediate impacts of COVID-19. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World speaks to past, present, and future, and, while urgent and timely, is sure to become an enduring staple.
In the form of ten straightforward “lessons,� covering topics from globalization and threat-preparedness to inequality and technological advancement, Zakaria creates a structure for readers to begin thinking beyond the immediate impacts of COVID-19. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World speaks to past, present, and future, and, while urgent and timely, is sure to become an enduring staple.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2020
2421 people are currently reading
6875 people want to read
About the author
Fareed Zakaria
38books1,121followersFareed Rafiq Zakaria is an Indian-born American journalist, political commentator, and author. He is the host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS and writes a weekly paid column for The Washington Post. He has been a columnist for Newsweek, editor of Newsweek International, and an editor at large of Time.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 749 reviews
October 11, 2020
I admit to shying away from books by current beltway and media authors as nearly all seem more intent on pushing an agenda, normally of obvious self-interest, rather than the thoughtful exploration of the many problems we face at home and around the world. Fareed Zakaria, however, is a pleasant exception to this current crop of social and political snake oil sellers and this book is testament to that favorable distinction.
Fareed is smart and articulate and brimming with curiosity about the world. What makes him unique, however, is his genuine sense of humility, a strong philosophical bent, and the fact that he is truly a man of the world. He has an understanding of the world that only extensive time outside of your native country can help you achieve. Such experiences breed tolerance and teach you that the world must be assessed in context, and that in turn requires the openness to accept alternative worldviews on equal terms.
I have lived and worked as an American ex-pat in China for eleven years and am stunned, whenever I return to the US, by how little my friends and family know or understand about China. And over that period of time, despite the connectivity of technology-enabled knowledge sharing, the gulf has widened, not narrowed.
The title of the book refers to the post-pandemic world but this is not a book about the COVID pandemic per se. The pandemic, Fareed argues, is a catalyst for change, many aspects of which were already underway before the virus brought the world to its knees.
The larger debate the pandemic brought to light is whether or not we will live in a multi-lateral world of global cooperation or a world dominated by self-interested populist states powered by extreme nationalism. (Nationalistic populism, I believe history has shown, is the inevitable first step toward repressive authoritarianism.) While he is clearly hopeful of the former, however, he recognizes that American hegemony that dominated the pre-pandemic multi-lateral world is undoubtedly a thing of the past, for good or bad. “At this point, the restoration of an American-dominated international order is not possible.�
I do take exception with some of his observations regarding China, but he stops well short of actually demonizing China with the exaggerated and often false narrative coming out of Washington. Most importantly, he advocates cooperation, which I believe the Chinese would actually welcome if it were sincere, respectful, and reliable.
I view the issues brought to light by the pandemic in much the same way Fareed does but with a slightly different turn of phrase. I think we are facing a choice between two over-riding and competing worldviews � collectivism and individualism. While a healthy balance of both should be the ultimate goal, individualism by itself is a sure path to our assured destruction. A sense of our place in the world, and our responsibility to those we share it with, must be at the heart of everything else we do.
And while there is a strong sentimental case to be made for that, the ultimate justification for a collective worldview is a pragmatic one. And it was an ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, who probably summed it up best. A political advisor at a time when China was constantly at war with itself, he recognized that behaviors could not be sustainably changed at the tip of a spear. As soon as the spear leaves, the old behavior will resurface. Behavior can only be sustainably changed through the self-restraint imposed by a moral code built around a personal sense of obligation.
In the US today we have 315 million inhabitants and something over 1 million police men and women. As much as I respect and am thankful for the work they do, however, the police are not at the center of law and order. Self-restraint is. We are a nation of laws only as long as we choose to be. If we take our current trend to selfishness to its logical extreme, where only “I� matters, we will cease to have a functioning democracy. (The refusal to wear masks during the pandemic is not a good sign but free balcony concerts and neighbors looking out for neighbors are.)
This is a wonderful book that I can’t recommend highly enough. You don’t have to agree with every assessment, as I admittedly do not. We must all accept, however, that the future is not written in one-dimensional (we vs they) fate. We must choose. And only be choosing and acting collectively will we renew and expand the exceptionalism we all yearn for.
Fareed is smart and articulate and brimming with curiosity about the world. What makes him unique, however, is his genuine sense of humility, a strong philosophical bent, and the fact that he is truly a man of the world. He has an understanding of the world that only extensive time outside of your native country can help you achieve. Such experiences breed tolerance and teach you that the world must be assessed in context, and that in turn requires the openness to accept alternative worldviews on equal terms.
I have lived and worked as an American ex-pat in China for eleven years and am stunned, whenever I return to the US, by how little my friends and family know or understand about China. And over that period of time, despite the connectivity of technology-enabled knowledge sharing, the gulf has widened, not narrowed.
The title of the book refers to the post-pandemic world but this is not a book about the COVID pandemic per se. The pandemic, Fareed argues, is a catalyst for change, many aspects of which were already underway before the virus brought the world to its knees.
The larger debate the pandemic brought to light is whether or not we will live in a multi-lateral world of global cooperation or a world dominated by self-interested populist states powered by extreme nationalism. (Nationalistic populism, I believe history has shown, is the inevitable first step toward repressive authoritarianism.) While he is clearly hopeful of the former, however, he recognizes that American hegemony that dominated the pre-pandemic multi-lateral world is undoubtedly a thing of the past, for good or bad. “At this point, the restoration of an American-dominated international order is not possible.�
I do take exception with some of his observations regarding China, but he stops well short of actually demonizing China with the exaggerated and often false narrative coming out of Washington. Most importantly, he advocates cooperation, which I believe the Chinese would actually welcome if it were sincere, respectful, and reliable.
I view the issues brought to light by the pandemic in much the same way Fareed does but with a slightly different turn of phrase. I think we are facing a choice between two over-riding and competing worldviews � collectivism and individualism. While a healthy balance of both should be the ultimate goal, individualism by itself is a sure path to our assured destruction. A sense of our place in the world, and our responsibility to those we share it with, must be at the heart of everything else we do.
And while there is a strong sentimental case to be made for that, the ultimate justification for a collective worldview is a pragmatic one. And it was an ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, who probably summed it up best. A political advisor at a time when China was constantly at war with itself, he recognized that behaviors could not be sustainably changed at the tip of a spear. As soon as the spear leaves, the old behavior will resurface. Behavior can only be sustainably changed through the self-restraint imposed by a moral code built around a personal sense of obligation.
In the US today we have 315 million inhabitants and something over 1 million police men and women. As much as I respect and am thankful for the work they do, however, the police are not at the center of law and order. Self-restraint is. We are a nation of laws only as long as we choose to be. If we take our current trend to selfishness to its logical extreme, where only “I� matters, we will cease to have a functioning democracy. (The refusal to wear masks during the pandemic is not a good sign but free balcony concerts and neighbors looking out for neighbors are.)
This is a wonderful book that I can’t recommend highly enough. You don’t have to agree with every assessment, as I admittedly do not. We must all accept, however, that the future is not written in one-dimensional (we vs they) fate. We must choose. And only be choosing and acting collectively will we renew and expand the exceptionalism we all yearn for.
November 2, 2020
It was interesting enough for me to finish, but not compelling enough to remember any of the lessons for very long. It's mostly about US foreign policy with China and India and the points Zakaria makes are instructive and interesting, but they are just a smidge smarter and more cogent than what the chattering classes have been saying about these things for a while now.
February 28, 2023
Fareed Zakaria provides insight, historical reference, and research for his book, .
Zakaria describes the COVID pandemic as a hinge event of modern history. He quotes Lenin, "There are decades where nothing happens, and then there are weeks where decades happen." Fantastic quote that summarizes the fluidity of the pandemic.
Zakaria makes strong arguments that the quality of government matters and the tone from the top makes all the difference. He states that good government is about limited power but clear lines of authority. He feels the public can grasp nuances of a situation if it is presented honestly.
His chapter titled "People Should Listen to the Experts and Experts Should Listen to the People" is powerful. He shares stories about FDR who came from American aristocracy yet was able to develop bonds with ordinary people. FDR became a champion of the poor and dispossessed. He spent many years in Warm Springs, GA in the naturally heated mineral waters to help ease the effects of polio. Many of the people he spoke with while sitting in the mineral waters were other polio victims, most of them from modest backgrounds. FDR understood deep in his bones what it felt like to be powerless.
The book also discusses the rise of China. China is the world's largest manufacturer and the second-largest importer. The US and China trade $2 billion in goods every day. Zakaria asks what the rise of China means for international order.
Zakaria provides insights on countries becoming more nationalistic and turning inward during the pandemic. During the pandemic, most things that went wrong went wrong inside of countries, not between countries. He shares historical perspectives about idealism and realism.
Zakaria ends the book on a positive note about the many futures we have in front of us. The pandemic has created the possibility for change and reform and opened up a new path.
Zakaria describes the COVID pandemic as a hinge event of modern history. He quotes Lenin, "There are decades where nothing happens, and then there are weeks where decades happen." Fantastic quote that summarizes the fluidity of the pandemic.
Zakaria makes strong arguments that the quality of government matters and the tone from the top makes all the difference. He states that good government is about limited power but clear lines of authority. He feels the public can grasp nuances of a situation if it is presented honestly.
His chapter titled "People Should Listen to the Experts and Experts Should Listen to the People" is powerful. He shares stories about FDR who came from American aristocracy yet was able to develop bonds with ordinary people. FDR became a champion of the poor and dispossessed. He spent many years in Warm Springs, GA in the naturally heated mineral waters to help ease the effects of polio. Many of the people he spoke with while sitting in the mineral waters were other polio victims, most of them from modest backgrounds. FDR understood deep in his bones what it felt like to be powerless.
The book also discusses the rise of China. China is the world's largest manufacturer and the second-largest importer. The US and China trade $2 billion in goods every day. Zakaria asks what the rise of China means for international order.
Zakaria provides insights on countries becoming more nationalistic and turning inward during the pandemic. During the pandemic, most things that went wrong went wrong inside of countries, not between countries. He shares historical perspectives about idealism and realism.
Zakaria ends the book on a positive note about the many futures we have in front of us. The pandemic has created the possibility for change and reform and opened up a new path.
October 3, 2024
Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria was a well-researched and well-written account of one of the biggest threats facing the United States and the world that has just exploded out of control. Zakaria writes a comprehensive book about what has happened and, as the title of the book suggests, ten lessons for us basically to survive in a post-pandemic world. Among the ten lessons were Buckle Up, What Matters Is Not the Quantity of Government but the Quality, Markets Are Not Enough, People Should Listen to the Experts--and Experts Should Listen to the People, Life is Digital, Aristotle Was Right--We Are Social Animals, and my favorite, Sometimes the Greatest Realists Are the Idealists.
And at this point, I'm sure that all of us are looking forward to a post-pandemic world but on the day before Christmas 2020, our prayers are for the end to this out of control pandemic. Happy holidays to all and wishes for better times ahead in the United States and throughout the world. Peace.
"History doesn't repeat itself but it rhymes, goes the saying. And while we are living in a new age of globalization and technological change, we are seeing the return of one of the oldest stories in international relations--the rise of a new great power and the unease this creates in the existing hegemon."
"In his own way, Dwight Eisenhower was making a similar point to Walter Cronkite as they sat overlooking the rows of graves in Normandy. The soldiers who died during World War II gave us all a chance to build a better and more peaceful world. So, too, in our times, this ugly pandemic has created the possibility for change and reform. It has opened up a path to a new world. It's ours to take that opportunity or squander it. Nothing is written."
And at this point, I'm sure that all of us are looking forward to a post-pandemic world but on the day before Christmas 2020, our prayers are for the end to this out of control pandemic. Happy holidays to all and wishes for better times ahead in the United States and throughout the world. Peace.
"History doesn't repeat itself but it rhymes, goes the saying. And while we are living in a new age of globalization and technological change, we are seeing the return of one of the oldest stories in international relations--the rise of a new great power and the unease this creates in the existing hegemon."
"In his own way, Dwight Eisenhower was making a similar point to Walter Cronkite as they sat overlooking the rows of graves in Normandy. The soldiers who died during World War II gave us all a chance to build a better and more peaceful world. So, too, in our times, this ugly pandemic has created the possibility for change and reform. It has opened up a path to a new world. It's ours to take that opportunity or squander it. Nothing is written."
May 3, 2021
This is an aggregation book. Fared doesn’t say anything that’s going to shock anyone who’s been paying attention to the world. But he does a pretty good job of aggregating a lot of decent writers and thinkers on various topics. I agree with most of what he has to say. His global view of things is refreshing to someone who has been in a very US centric bubble the last year. He’s definitely not global in a robust way, but I thought his derivations into his experiences in India were some of the highlights of the book.
I think as a summary of and analysis of where the United States is at currently this is a really good book.
I thought most of his points were well founded, With the caveat that every time someone says we are “just a few years away from Artificial general intelligence� I melt a PS5 down in front of a child. We are not “just a few years away� we are probably not even several decades away. The absolute gulf of how far we are away from AGI is vast. We will continue to have super impressive feats of seeming pseudo intelligence from computers, and we will continue to say “we’re just a couple years away� late into the second half of the century.
And I think you can draw this example into further criticism of the book in that vast majority of this future looking statements have been stolen and pretty blatantly copied from other books by People who are equally as clueless about what the future may bring. Fareed doesn’t really take any risks in this book. He has a very well educated old-school liberal approach to a lot of things. But that involves parroting whatever trendy idea is in the public ethos about things like UBI, AI, Automation, Trade, and Covid.
Worth a read if you want to refresh and distill the commonly accepted knowledge around liberal thought.
I think as a summary of and analysis of where the United States is at currently this is a really good book.
I thought most of his points were well founded, With the caveat that every time someone says we are “just a few years away from Artificial general intelligence� I melt a PS5 down in front of a child. We are not “just a few years away� we are probably not even several decades away. The absolute gulf of how far we are away from AGI is vast. We will continue to have super impressive feats of seeming pseudo intelligence from computers, and we will continue to say “we’re just a couple years away� late into the second half of the century.
And I think you can draw this example into further criticism of the book in that vast majority of this future looking statements have been stolen and pretty blatantly copied from other books by People who are equally as clueless about what the future may bring. Fareed doesn’t really take any risks in this book. He has a very well educated old-school liberal approach to a lot of things. But that involves parroting whatever trendy idea is in the public ethos about things like UBI, AI, Automation, Trade, and Covid.
Worth a read if you want to refresh and distill the commonly accepted knowledge around liberal thought.
October 26, 2023
I didn't realize when I was looking for a current events topical book that this one was published in Oct 2020. In hindsight we were just at the beginning of dealing with an increasing knowledge about COVID and hadn't yet seen any of the impact of having vaccines and all that they stirred up. I wish he had updated this book. Having said that I can tell you that most of the book is not about COVID per se although he posits that the pandemic is a hinge event in modern history, most of the book is about the impact of globalization. I have difficulty reviewing nonfiction that is wide ranging because there is so much there, and I don't enjoy writing longer reviews. I have enjoyed listening to this author in the past, he is intelligent and articulate and is able to speak/write with a clarity that facilitates understanding in those of us with much less expertise on various topics. So I highly recommend reading this well-researched and interesting book.
Zakaria's chapters or lessons are as follows:
1. Buckle Up. Discusses the issues surrounding living in a world that is open, fast but unstable.
2. What Matters is not the Quantity of Government but the Quality. Amen to that! I liked the brief history of good government.
3. Markets are not Enough. Highlighted the growing inequality in not only the U.S. but other countries as well
4. People should listen to Experts & Experts should listen to the People. Timely chapter. The greatest moral failing of meritocracy is the belief that your success, your higher perch in society, makes you superior in any fundamental sense.
5. Life is Digital. Oh boy, most people who know me have heard me say that I am so last century, not having embraced the digital world. So this chapter got me depressed. However, I was able to see light again with the next chapter/lesson
6. Aristotle was right- We are Social Animals.
7. Inequality will get Worse. We have moved from accepting a market economy to creating a market society, one in which everything is seen through the prism of price. Taken to the extreme, i.e. favors from politicians, special access, preferential treatment at colleges, money becomes a corrupting and corroding force.
8. Globalization is not Dead We are likely to find fresh confirmation of what we already know about globalization: That it is easy to hate, convenient to target and impossible to stop. Zachary Karabell WSJ 3/20/20
9. The World is Becoming Bipolar
These last two lessons spent a lot of time comparing and contrasting the U.S with the rising power of China
10. Sometimes the Greatest Realists are Idealists.
Conclusion: Nothing is written.
And if what he is written is not enough for you, there are 60 pages of notes and citations at the end of the book!
Zakaria's chapters or lessons are as follows:
1. Buckle Up. Discusses the issues surrounding living in a world that is open, fast but unstable.
2. What Matters is not the Quantity of Government but the Quality. Amen to that! I liked the brief history of good government.
3. Markets are not Enough. Highlighted the growing inequality in not only the U.S. but other countries as well
4. People should listen to Experts & Experts should listen to the People. Timely chapter. The greatest moral failing of meritocracy is the belief that your success, your higher perch in society, makes you superior in any fundamental sense.
5. Life is Digital. Oh boy, most people who know me have heard me say that I am so last century, not having embraced the digital world. So this chapter got me depressed. However, I was able to see light again with the next chapter/lesson
6. Aristotle was right- We are Social Animals.
7. Inequality will get Worse. We have moved from accepting a market economy to creating a market society, one in which everything is seen through the prism of price. Taken to the extreme, i.e. favors from politicians, special access, preferential treatment at colleges, money becomes a corrupting and corroding force.
8. Globalization is not Dead We are likely to find fresh confirmation of what we already know about globalization: That it is easy to hate, convenient to target and impossible to stop. Zachary Karabell WSJ 3/20/20
9. The World is Becoming Bipolar
These last two lessons spent a lot of time comparing and contrasting the U.S with the rising power of China
10. Sometimes the Greatest Realists are Idealists.
Conclusion: Nothing is written.
And if what he is written is not enough for you, there are 60 pages of notes and citations at the end of the book!
November 28, 2020
This book is a looking glass think piece. He draws on scientifically gathered data, recorded history, economic study, theories and histories of governance and a host of thoughtful authors to use the current pandemic to discuss the situation and future of the world. This is a grand effort in the planning for the people of the world. He is a clever writer, has obviously studied and given great thought to the many issues of world politics, economics and governance. While many of the topics deserve (and have had) large tomes, this little book is a great summation and thought provoking contribution to our existence. The conclusion from all of this hard work as planned, if not amazing: it is all common sense.
Want to read
October 31, 2020I have huge admiration for Fareed Zakaria. Not many people in the world are as insightful and have a clear understanding of global affairs as Fareed Zakaria. Anytime you read his books or his newspaper articles or watch his CNN programme, GPS, you always go away more refreshed and intellectually empowered. And in this his latest book, it was Fareed at his best: thoughtful, balanced, down-to-earth, and clear-minded.
December 18, 2020
As with the major plagues, wars, natural disasters, and economic collapses of the past, the COVID-19 pandemic stands to change (or accelerate) the course of history, fundamentally altering our political economy and society. In the midst of this change, Fareed Zakaria offers us Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World to guide us as we look to construct a better, fairer, and more stable world in the wake of the pandemic.
Zakaria’s ten lessons can be arranged to cover the following four overarching lessons (as I’m interpreting them) for the United States as it navigates the post-pandemic world.
1. Embrace globalization and restore international collaboration
Global trade, travel, and the economic and demographic interconnectedness of nations is an unstoppable force. We cannot isolate ourselves from the wider world—even if we wanted to; we can only work to take advantage of globalization’s benefits (or else fall behind to other countries) while better preparing for its risks and compensating those that lose out. We should also remember that post-World War II international collaboration has a strong track record: 75 years (and counting) of relative peace among the great powers.
The US response to the pandemic, however—being rooted in isolationism and nationalism—has been puzzling. As Zakaria wrote:
“From a historical perspective, it is strange to watch this crisis make leaders so narrow-minded and nationalistic. The pain of the pandemic is real and deep, but it doesn’t quite compare to the period between 1914 and 1945—a great war that ripped Europe apart, a pandemic far deadlier than COVID, a global depression, the rise of totalitarianism, another world war that destroyed Europe yet again and laid waste to Japanese cities with nuclear weapons—all told, over 150 million dead. And yet, after those hellish crises, leaders pushed for more international collaboration. Having witnessed the costs of unbridled nationalism and narrow self-interest, the warriors and statesmen who survived believed that they had a duty to create a world that did not lapse back into nihilistic competition.�
This should all be obvious, namely that the prospects of cooperation among nations holds far greater promise than perpetual conflict. The alternative to international collaboration is unrestricted nationalistic competition, the perils of which have apparently been forgotten and are greatly underrated.
The US response this past year has just made no sense. For example, in response to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) mishandling of the pandemic response, the US withdrew from the organization, as if allowing the organization to wither away is the better alternative. The proper response would be to recognize that the WHO is underfunded and understaffed and to increase funding and to become more involved in the restructuring of an indispensable organization.
If the US continues to turn away from the wider world, this is going to (1) create chaos and disorder and/or (2) allow other countries to fill the void and collectively outpace the US in several areas.
2. Reduce inequality and restore the dignity or work
Inequality in the US is rampant and unacceptable. In addition to high levels of inequality in income and wealth (which can only be addressed through more progressive taxation), the pandemic has highlighted the inequality of access to health care, demonstrated by the fact that the wealthy received priority access to COVID-19 testing along with the latest and best treatments. It’s time that the US follows other developed nations and adopts some form of universal health care. (The United States is the only one of 33 developed countries to not have universal health care.�)
On the job front, the pandemic has made clear the value of “essential workers� to the proper functioning of society, and has highlighted the fact that all jobs have value and contribute to the common good, regardless of the economic value the market assigns to them. Grocery clerks, sanitation workers, teachers, and nurses—while not earning the exorbitant salaries of society's elites (e.g., hedge fund managers)—provide tangible benefits to society that should be better recognized and rewarded. The tax system should be restructured to better reward these tangible, productive positions by shifting the tax burden away from work and onto consumption, wealth, and financial speculation.
3. Demand better government, not less government
Free market fundamentalism—the modern version of the “divine right of kings”—is dangerous and outdated. It cedes over ultimate authority to the market, which consistently undervalues social goods and creates inequality and resentment. Other countries have more effective governments because its citizens know that the question is not the size of government, but rather the quality of government in providing efficient and valuable services to its citizens. The governments of several countries around the world handled the COVID-19 crisis far better than the US—along with much else—and it is about time we started to learn from them.
Several Northern European countries (Denmark being the crowning example) have largely applied most of Zakaria’s ten lessons with great success. How did they do it?
Not by resorting to communism or socialism (using the historical definition of socialism as state control of the means of production), but rather through better-regulated, progressive capitalism. These countries are reaping the benefits of free trade, competition, and private ownership (capitalism) while taking active steps to reduce inequality.
Take Denmark as an example. Zakaria demonstrates how the citizens of Denmark have much higher tax rates compared to the US but receive better services and access to health care and education. As Zakaria wrote:
“Imagine that you’re an average family. You and your spouse have a child, and make the mean household income. You could choose to live in either America or Denmark. In high-tax Denmark, your disposable income after taxes and transfers would be around $15,000 lower than in the States. But in return for your higher tax bill, you would get universal health care (one with better outcomes than in the US), free education right up through the best graduate schools, worker retraining programs on which the state spends seventeen times more as a percentage of GDP than what is spent in America, as well as high-quality infrastructure, mass transit, and many beautiful public parks and other spaces. Danes also enjoy some 550 more hours of leisure time a year than Americans do. If the choice were put this way—you can take the extra $15,000 but have to work longer hours, take fewer vacation days, and fend for yourself on health care, education, retraining, and transport—I think most Americans would choose the Danish model.�
Note that the Danish do not have less freedom due to higher taxes, nor do they live under the oppression of state-controlled communism. Quite the contrary: they live under a robust capitalist system with the freedom to pursue the life and career of their own choosing (and are rewarded in the market for their efforts). But they do so with a greater sense of the common good and under a government that provides valuable services to all and that provides more equal opportunity to all, so that there is less inequality and greater overall social mobility. What rational individual (who isn’t already wealthy and privileged) would pick the US model over this?
Denmark has combined capitalism with a more robust social safety net, better services, and greater redistribution schemes to ensure greater equality of opportunity and income. As a result, its citizens trust their government, trust in science and institutions, and are ultimately happier (Denmark ranked 2nd in the World Happiness Report 2020).
The US, by contrast, has extreme levels of inequality, low social mobility, intense political polarization, and an unhappy population (the US ranked 18th in the same World Happiness Report 2020). This is the result of overreliance on the market and the demonization of government. As Zakaria wrote:
“For four decades, America has largely been run by people who openly pledge to destroy the very government they lead. Is it any wonder that they have succeeded?�
In the wake of the pandemic, we can only hope that four decades of market fundamentalism comes to an end and a new era of progressive capitalism—built on the Scandanavian model—is pursued. Whether or not this will happen is an open question, and considering the country’s past, it is far from guaranteed, especially considering just how deeply money has infiltrated politics and elections.
4. Reform our educational system to change our culture
The hard reality is that the US population is largely scientifically illiterate, overly skeptical of experts, and prone to conspiracy theories. This is nothing if not a failure of our schools to teach the appropriate critical thinking skills and scientific literacy. By teaching to the test and over-relying on rote learning, students are told what to think but not how to think. In a world moving fast into the digital era with major advances in science and technology, a scientifically illiterate population resistant to change will spell disaster for the country.
While I mostly agree with Zakaria’s assessment of the impact of technology on our society—including the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) replacing jobs and creating massive levels of unemployment and inequality if we do not implement some kind of retraining programs or universal basic income schemes—his views on general AI posing an existential threat to humanity are overblown. He mentions more than once the possibility of humanity being overwhelmed by general AI in some sort of apocalyptic sci-fi scenario. This, as far as I can tell, is pure fantasy.
As psychologist Steven Pinker and others have pointed out—in addition to being very far away from developing general AI—intelligence does not necessarily translate to evil, and that if we become smart enough to build these incredible machines, we should be smart enough to test them and to employ the appropriate safeguards before giving them control of the world. It simply makes no sense to say that these machines will be smart enough to take over the world but dumb enough to do so by accident, and we forget that implementing safety protocols into our technology is a key part of the engineering profession.
Finally, the complexity of the human brain makes it difficult to get robots to do the simplest of tasks—Pinker uses the example of lifting a glass without crushing it. So something any four-year-old can do becomes a near-impossible engineering problem. The human brain is a product of millions of years of evolution and it is just not realistic to think that we can build a machine from scratch with the complexity to think in the same way that humans can.
----------------------------------------------------
Ultimately, the question is, will we take advantage of this opportunity to change society for the better? The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the aspects of our society that require change and the possibility of the government stepping in to create that change. But nothing is inevitable or written in stone. Our future is entirely dependent on our actions, choices, and votes, and it seems that we are likely to take one of two paths forward: (1) toward a nationalistic, individualistic society characterized by growing levels of inequality and resentment, or else (2) toward a more open, equal, inclusive, and collaborative society re-integrated into the larger world.
Zakaria’s ten lessons can be arranged to cover the following four overarching lessons (as I’m interpreting them) for the United States as it navigates the post-pandemic world.
1. Embrace globalization and restore international collaboration
Global trade, travel, and the economic and demographic interconnectedness of nations is an unstoppable force. We cannot isolate ourselves from the wider world—even if we wanted to; we can only work to take advantage of globalization’s benefits (or else fall behind to other countries) while better preparing for its risks and compensating those that lose out. We should also remember that post-World War II international collaboration has a strong track record: 75 years (and counting) of relative peace among the great powers.
The US response to the pandemic, however—being rooted in isolationism and nationalism—has been puzzling. As Zakaria wrote:
“From a historical perspective, it is strange to watch this crisis make leaders so narrow-minded and nationalistic. The pain of the pandemic is real and deep, but it doesn’t quite compare to the period between 1914 and 1945—a great war that ripped Europe apart, a pandemic far deadlier than COVID, a global depression, the rise of totalitarianism, another world war that destroyed Europe yet again and laid waste to Japanese cities with nuclear weapons—all told, over 150 million dead. And yet, after those hellish crises, leaders pushed for more international collaboration. Having witnessed the costs of unbridled nationalism and narrow self-interest, the warriors and statesmen who survived believed that they had a duty to create a world that did not lapse back into nihilistic competition.�
This should all be obvious, namely that the prospects of cooperation among nations holds far greater promise than perpetual conflict. The alternative to international collaboration is unrestricted nationalistic competition, the perils of which have apparently been forgotten and are greatly underrated.
The US response this past year has just made no sense. For example, in response to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) mishandling of the pandemic response, the US withdrew from the organization, as if allowing the organization to wither away is the better alternative. The proper response would be to recognize that the WHO is underfunded and understaffed and to increase funding and to become more involved in the restructuring of an indispensable organization.
If the US continues to turn away from the wider world, this is going to (1) create chaos and disorder and/or (2) allow other countries to fill the void and collectively outpace the US in several areas.
2. Reduce inequality and restore the dignity or work
Inequality in the US is rampant and unacceptable. In addition to high levels of inequality in income and wealth (which can only be addressed through more progressive taxation), the pandemic has highlighted the inequality of access to health care, demonstrated by the fact that the wealthy received priority access to COVID-19 testing along with the latest and best treatments. It’s time that the US follows other developed nations and adopts some form of universal health care. (The United States is the only one of 33 developed countries to not have universal health care.�)
On the job front, the pandemic has made clear the value of “essential workers� to the proper functioning of society, and has highlighted the fact that all jobs have value and contribute to the common good, regardless of the economic value the market assigns to them. Grocery clerks, sanitation workers, teachers, and nurses—while not earning the exorbitant salaries of society's elites (e.g., hedge fund managers)—provide tangible benefits to society that should be better recognized and rewarded. The tax system should be restructured to better reward these tangible, productive positions by shifting the tax burden away from work and onto consumption, wealth, and financial speculation.
3. Demand better government, not less government
Free market fundamentalism—the modern version of the “divine right of kings”—is dangerous and outdated. It cedes over ultimate authority to the market, which consistently undervalues social goods and creates inequality and resentment. Other countries have more effective governments because its citizens know that the question is not the size of government, but rather the quality of government in providing efficient and valuable services to its citizens. The governments of several countries around the world handled the COVID-19 crisis far better than the US—along with much else—and it is about time we started to learn from them.
Several Northern European countries (Denmark being the crowning example) have largely applied most of Zakaria’s ten lessons with great success. How did they do it?
Not by resorting to communism or socialism (using the historical definition of socialism as state control of the means of production), but rather through better-regulated, progressive capitalism. These countries are reaping the benefits of free trade, competition, and private ownership (capitalism) while taking active steps to reduce inequality.
Take Denmark as an example. Zakaria demonstrates how the citizens of Denmark have much higher tax rates compared to the US but receive better services and access to health care and education. As Zakaria wrote:
“Imagine that you’re an average family. You and your spouse have a child, and make the mean household income. You could choose to live in either America or Denmark. In high-tax Denmark, your disposable income after taxes and transfers would be around $15,000 lower than in the States. But in return for your higher tax bill, you would get universal health care (one with better outcomes than in the US), free education right up through the best graduate schools, worker retraining programs on which the state spends seventeen times more as a percentage of GDP than what is spent in America, as well as high-quality infrastructure, mass transit, and many beautiful public parks and other spaces. Danes also enjoy some 550 more hours of leisure time a year than Americans do. If the choice were put this way—you can take the extra $15,000 but have to work longer hours, take fewer vacation days, and fend for yourself on health care, education, retraining, and transport—I think most Americans would choose the Danish model.�
Note that the Danish do not have less freedom due to higher taxes, nor do they live under the oppression of state-controlled communism. Quite the contrary: they live under a robust capitalist system with the freedom to pursue the life and career of their own choosing (and are rewarded in the market for their efforts). But they do so with a greater sense of the common good and under a government that provides valuable services to all and that provides more equal opportunity to all, so that there is less inequality and greater overall social mobility. What rational individual (who isn’t already wealthy and privileged) would pick the US model over this?
Denmark has combined capitalism with a more robust social safety net, better services, and greater redistribution schemes to ensure greater equality of opportunity and income. As a result, its citizens trust their government, trust in science and institutions, and are ultimately happier (Denmark ranked 2nd in the World Happiness Report 2020).
The US, by contrast, has extreme levels of inequality, low social mobility, intense political polarization, and an unhappy population (the US ranked 18th in the same World Happiness Report 2020). This is the result of overreliance on the market and the demonization of government. As Zakaria wrote:
“For four decades, America has largely been run by people who openly pledge to destroy the very government they lead. Is it any wonder that they have succeeded?�
In the wake of the pandemic, we can only hope that four decades of market fundamentalism comes to an end and a new era of progressive capitalism—built on the Scandanavian model—is pursued. Whether or not this will happen is an open question, and considering the country’s past, it is far from guaranteed, especially considering just how deeply money has infiltrated politics and elections.
4. Reform our educational system to change our culture
The hard reality is that the US population is largely scientifically illiterate, overly skeptical of experts, and prone to conspiracy theories. This is nothing if not a failure of our schools to teach the appropriate critical thinking skills and scientific literacy. By teaching to the test and over-relying on rote learning, students are told what to think but not how to think. In a world moving fast into the digital era with major advances in science and technology, a scientifically illiterate population resistant to change will spell disaster for the country.
While I mostly agree with Zakaria’s assessment of the impact of technology on our society—including the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) replacing jobs and creating massive levels of unemployment and inequality if we do not implement some kind of retraining programs or universal basic income schemes—his views on general AI posing an existential threat to humanity are overblown. He mentions more than once the possibility of humanity being overwhelmed by general AI in some sort of apocalyptic sci-fi scenario. This, as far as I can tell, is pure fantasy.
As psychologist Steven Pinker and others have pointed out—in addition to being very far away from developing general AI—intelligence does not necessarily translate to evil, and that if we become smart enough to build these incredible machines, we should be smart enough to test them and to employ the appropriate safeguards before giving them control of the world. It simply makes no sense to say that these machines will be smart enough to take over the world but dumb enough to do so by accident, and we forget that implementing safety protocols into our technology is a key part of the engineering profession.
Finally, the complexity of the human brain makes it difficult to get robots to do the simplest of tasks—Pinker uses the example of lifting a glass without crushing it. So something any four-year-old can do becomes a near-impossible engineering problem. The human brain is a product of millions of years of evolution and it is just not realistic to think that we can build a machine from scratch with the complexity to think in the same way that humans can.
----------------------------------------------------
Ultimately, the question is, will we take advantage of this opportunity to change society for the better? The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the aspects of our society that require change and the possibility of the government stepping in to create that change. But nothing is inevitable or written in stone. Our future is entirely dependent on our actions, choices, and votes, and it seems that we are likely to take one of two paths forward: (1) toward a nationalistic, individualistic society characterized by growing levels of inequality and resentment, or else (2) toward a more open, equal, inclusive, and collaborative society re-integrated into the larger world.
March 7, 2021
I find it challenging to review non-fiction, especially when it covers current events. Especially in this case, as we are still in the pandemic, so one can hardly determine whether Zakaria’s lessons, or predictions of our post-pandemic reality, will be true. I chose this book for the Book for All Seasons group challenge to “find a book whose underlying theme or topic is major change�, and as Zakaria argues, by living through a pandemic, we have “crossed a threshold� and seen the costs and consequences of dealing, or failing to deal, with such a catastrophic event. There will inevitably be changes, as he points out, “The post-pandemic world is going to be, in many aspects, a sped-up version of the world we knew.�
The chapters, or lessons, were presented with the author’s usual clarity and accessibility, and dealt with topics I think most thinking people have contemplated over the last year. Will we just “go back to normal� once there is a vaccine and the pandemic is contained? Can we? Or will there be a new normal, and what will that be like? Will nations continue to cooperate, trade, exchange goods, ideas, and people, or will they continue to hunker down, shut down borders, try and reduce further globalization to protect their own against future pandemic outbreaks?
Some of the most important lessons, I thought, were “What Matters is not the Quantity of Government, but the Quality�, especially important given the differences in various countries� responses to the pandemic; “People should listen to the experts, and the Experts should listen to the People�, about how important it is for us to understand the scientific method of inquiry, and that as data becomes available, recommendations may change, and experts need to be frank, not condescending, when explaining;“Life is Digital�, about how our reliance on digital technology to work, communicate and connect has been further cemented by the pandemic; “Aristotle was Right, We are Social Animals�, about how technology can’t fill the void of loneliness, and how the predictions that “cities are dead� is probably premature; “Globalization is Not Dead�, indeed, it will continue and we need to find new ways to cooperate, rather than shut ourselves down within our borders; “The World is Becoming Bipolar�, dealing largely with the changing relationship between the US and an increasingly powerful China, and finally, “Nothing is Written�, his powerful conclusion. He brings together his main lessons, and points out we’ve never been here before, huge changes that would normally have taken years (working from home, vaccines developed, etc), have happened rapidly due to the exigencies of the pandemic, and this is an opportunity to continue with big thinking and big changes, a la FDR and The New Deal as a response to the Great Depression.
I’ve read this author before, because I enjoy his sharp intelligence, reasonable outlook, and cautious optimism. He doesn’t sugarcoat things, rather points out the practical benefits for all nations of continued and even expanded cooperation in many areas. I found this book comforting and intelligently argued, and would recommend it to anyone anxious about what might come next.
The chapters, or lessons, were presented with the author’s usual clarity and accessibility, and dealt with topics I think most thinking people have contemplated over the last year. Will we just “go back to normal� once there is a vaccine and the pandemic is contained? Can we? Or will there be a new normal, and what will that be like? Will nations continue to cooperate, trade, exchange goods, ideas, and people, or will they continue to hunker down, shut down borders, try and reduce further globalization to protect their own against future pandemic outbreaks?
Some of the most important lessons, I thought, were “What Matters is not the Quantity of Government, but the Quality�, especially important given the differences in various countries� responses to the pandemic; “People should listen to the experts, and the Experts should listen to the People�, about how important it is for us to understand the scientific method of inquiry, and that as data becomes available, recommendations may change, and experts need to be frank, not condescending, when explaining;“Life is Digital�, about how our reliance on digital technology to work, communicate and connect has been further cemented by the pandemic; “Aristotle was Right, We are Social Animals�, about how technology can’t fill the void of loneliness, and how the predictions that “cities are dead� is probably premature; “Globalization is Not Dead�, indeed, it will continue and we need to find new ways to cooperate, rather than shut ourselves down within our borders; “The World is Becoming Bipolar�, dealing largely with the changing relationship between the US and an increasingly powerful China, and finally, “Nothing is Written�, his powerful conclusion. He brings together his main lessons, and points out we’ve never been here before, huge changes that would normally have taken years (working from home, vaccines developed, etc), have happened rapidly due to the exigencies of the pandemic, and this is an opportunity to continue with big thinking and big changes, a la FDR and The New Deal as a response to the Great Depression.
I’ve read this author before, because I enjoy his sharp intelligence, reasonable outlook, and cautious optimism. He doesn’t sugarcoat things, rather points out the practical benefits for all nations of continued and even expanded cooperation in many areas. I found this book comforting and intelligently argued, and would recommend it to anyone anxious about what might come next.
October 29, 2020
This is a book not about the pandemic, but rather about the world that is coming into being as a result of the pandemic and—more importantly—our responses to it. Any large shock can have diverse effects, depending on the state of the world at the time and on how human beings react—with fear or denial or adaptation. In the case of the novel coronavirus, the impact is being shaped by the reality that the world is deeply interconnected, that most countries were unprepared for the pandemic, and that in its wake, many of them—including the world’s richest nations—shut down their societies and economies in a manner unprecedented in human history.
What exactly are the consequences of this pandemic? Some have suggested that it will prove to be the hinge event of modern history, a moment that forever alters its course. Others believe that after a vaccine, we will quickly return to business as usual. Still others argue that the pandemic will not reshape history so much as accelerate it. This last scenario seems the most likely outcome.
Lenin is supposed to have once said, “There are decades when nothing happens, and then there are weeks when decades happen.�
This book is about a “post-pandemic world� not because the coronavirus is behind us, but because we have crossed a crucial threshold. Almost everyone alive had been spared from experiencing a plague, so far. But now we know what a pandemic looks like. We have seen the challenges and costs of responding to it. The Covid-19 pandemic could persist, but even if it is eradicated, new outbreaks of other diseases are almost certain to occur in the future. With this knowledge and experience, we now live in a new era: post-pandemic.
What exactly are the consequences of this pandemic? Some have suggested that it will prove to be the hinge event of modern history, a moment that forever alters its course. Others believe that after a vaccine, we will quickly return to business as usual. Still others argue that the pandemic will not reshape history so much as accelerate it. This last scenario seems the most likely outcome.
Lenin is supposed to have once said, “There are decades when nothing happens, and then there are weeks when decades happen.�
July 24, 2021
کتاب متوسطیه که توصیه میکن� عموم اهالی کتاب بخوننش. توصیهه� و روایتهای� که داره، میتون� برای درک تحولات آینده به ما کمک کنه
البته فرید ذکریا اصولا یه ژورنالیسته و نه یه آکادمیسین؛ یعنی دانشگاهی هم هست و وجه روزنامهنگاری� به علمی بودنش میچرب�
البته فرید ذکریا اصولا یه ژورنالیسته و نه یه آکادمیسین؛ یعنی دانشگاهی هم هست و وجه روزنامهنگاری� به علمی بودنش میچرب�
February 16, 2021
ترجمه این کتاب هم تموم شد و ان شاء الله مراحل فنی کار طی بشه و زودتر بیاد تو بازار
کتابی که چیز زیادی از ویروس کرونا به ما نمیگه بلکه از ما و دنیایی که تحت تاثیر اون قرار گرفته میگه و راههای پیش روی ما
هر� چند با همه ی بخشهای کتاب موافق نیستم، ولی خوب زکریا حرفهاش قابل اعتنا هستش و خوندنش ارزشمنده
کتابی که چیز زیادی از ویروس کرونا به ما نمیگه بلکه از ما و دنیایی که تحت تاثیر اون قرار گرفته میگه و راههای پیش روی ما
هر� چند با همه ی بخشهای کتاب موافق نیستم، ولی خوب زکریا حرفهاش قابل اعتنا هستش و خوندنش ارزشمنده
February 5, 2022
Дійсно хороша книжка, що дає можливість задуматися, що нас чекає і до чого ми дожилися.
July 7, 2021
Buku yang sangat topikal. Ketika buku ini ditulis, Amerika Syarikat masih lagi dibelenggu wabak covid-19 dan Presidennya (Trump) masih tidak mendengar nasihat pakar. Ketika saya membaca buku ini, bulan Julai 2021, Malaysia sedang melalui kuncitara yang ketiga, kes positif yang mendadak (tak kurang 5 ribu kes setiap hari) dan pemimpin-pemimpin yang sibuk dengan perjumpaan rahsia dan rebutan kuasa.
Maka tidak hairanlah di antara 10 pengajaran untuk dunia pasca-pandemik ini, Fareed Zakaria mengutamakan "Kepimpinan yang bermutu bukan yang berkuantiti". Ini adalah pengajaran yang paling tepat teutamanya untuk rakyat Malaysia ketika ini (tahun 2021). Tiada guna jika sesebuah kerajaan itu mempunyai berbelas atau berpuluh menteri tetapi tiada seorang pun yang cekap. Lebih baik, ujar Fareed Zakaria, kerajaan yang kecil, prihatin terhadap keluhan rakyat tetapi tegas. Ketegasan amat diperlukan di dalam situasi ini kerana manusia secara fitrahnya akan merayu untuk dilonggarkan segala sekatan yang dikenakan (perintah berkurung, memakai pelitup muka) namun itu akan lebih memburukkan keadaan. Di dalam hal ini, China lebih berjaya daripada Amerika Syarikat.
Dalam 10 pengajaran yang dihuraikan, yang ini paling menusuk kalbu, paling tepat pada sasaran bagi rakyat Malaysia.
Buku ini memang sesuai untuk orang awam. Fareed, seorang pemberita di CNN yang sudah menulis beberapa buku sebelum ini, menyampaikan hujah-hujahnya dengan bahasa mudah dan tidak terlalu akademik. Walaupun ditulis dari pandangan seorang rakyat Amerika dan kebanyakkan contoh-contoh yang diberi berlatar belakangkan negara itu namun ia serasi untuk seluruh dunia. Pada dasarnya, kita semua sedang menghadapi kemelut yang sama. Hanya cara kita mengatasinya sahaja yang berbeza.
10 Pengajaran di dalam buku ini:-
Buckle Up
What Matter is not the Quantity of Government but the Quality
Markets are not Enough
People Should Listen to Experts and Experts Should Listen to People
Life is Digital
We Are Social Animals
Inequality Will Get Worse
Globalisation is not Dead
The World is Becoming Bipolar
Sometimes the Greatest Realists are the Idealists
Maka tidak hairanlah di antara 10 pengajaran untuk dunia pasca-pandemik ini, Fareed Zakaria mengutamakan "Kepimpinan yang bermutu bukan yang berkuantiti". Ini adalah pengajaran yang paling tepat teutamanya untuk rakyat Malaysia ketika ini (tahun 2021). Tiada guna jika sesebuah kerajaan itu mempunyai berbelas atau berpuluh menteri tetapi tiada seorang pun yang cekap. Lebih baik, ujar Fareed Zakaria, kerajaan yang kecil, prihatin terhadap keluhan rakyat tetapi tegas. Ketegasan amat diperlukan di dalam situasi ini kerana manusia secara fitrahnya akan merayu untuk dilonggarkan segala sekatan yang dikenakan (perintah berkurung, memakai pelitup muka) namun itu akan lebih memburukkan keadaan. Di dalam hal ini, China lebih berjaya daripada Amerika Syarikat.
Dalam 10 pengajaran yang dihuraikan, yang ini paling menusuk kalbu, paling tepat pada sasaran bagi rakyat Malaysia.
Buku ini memang sesuai untuk orang awam. Fareed, seorang pemberita di CNN yang sudah menulis beberapa buku sebelum ini, menyampaikan hujah-hujahnya dengan bahasa mudah dan tidak terlalu akademik. Walaupun ditulis dari pandangan seorang rakyat Amerika dan kebanyakkan contoh-contoh yang diberi berlatar belakangkan negara itu namun ia serasi untuk seluruh dunia. Pada dasarnya, kita semua sedang menghadapi kemelut yang sama. Hanya cara kita mengatasinya sahaja yang berbeza.
10 Pengajaran di dalam buku ini:-
Buckle Up
What Matter is not the Quantity of Government but the Quality
Markets are not Enough
People Should Listen to Experts and Experts Should Listen to People
Life is Digital
We Are Social Animals
Inequality Will Get Worse
Globalisation is not Dead
The World is Becoming Bipolar
Sometimes the Greatest Realists are the Idealists
March 2, 2021
These past twelve months or so, I've spent a lot of time reading; I find myself seeking out the relevant reads (my booklist is heavy on the political and social justice books lately). I heard about this book on NPR, so I decided to check it out. It's a little crazy to think we've been dealing with a pandemic long enough that we can now read published books about that very pandemic, but here we are.
Some will describe this pandemic as a "hinge-point" of history, but the author argues that the pandemic will not reshape our future so much as accelerate it. There are "decades when nothing happens, and weeks when decades happen," and I think we can agree that we've had plenty of decade-long weeks lately.
Here are the ten lessons the author details in the book:
1. BUCKLE UP. We can only have two out of the three characteristics of society: open, fast, and stable. Since we are not going to give up being open and fast, we're not going to have the stability we crave. But while we may not be not stable, we are resilient, and we are capable of learning from our mistakes (the Dust Bowl is as a historical example). We need to prepare for another outbreak, because while outbreaks are inevitable, pandemics are optional.
2. WHAT MATTERS IS NOT THE QUANTITY OF GOVERNMENT BUT THE QUALITY. So often, liberals and conservatives argue about the size of government, particularly in America. But we saw during the pandemic that both liberal and conservative governments were capable of controlling the spread of COVID-19 in their countries. We don't necessarily need more government or less government; we need GOOD government.
3. MARKETS ARE NOT ENOUGH. Even while we praised "essential workers" during the early days of the pandemic, we punished them through our capitalistic habits: poor and marginalized people would suffer the greatest from COVID-19. So many Americans are afraid of socialism, but perhaps integrating a few more socialistic policies (as many European countries do) would be beneficial.
4. PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS, AND EXPERTS NEED TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE. Somewhere in the middle of this messy pandemic, "trusting your gut" seemed to overrule trusting science and medicine. The people need to learn to trust the experts. And, as part of gaining that trust, the experts need to tell it to us straight. On the flip side, experts need to realize that many less-educated people resent being told what to do, and treat them with empathy rather than disdain. Also: "listening to the experts" includes trusting experts in many fields, not just scientific; we will benefit from the wisdom of economic experts, as well, before we go shutting down businesses.
5. LIFE IS DIGITAL. We have seen a "new normal" emerge this past year: tele-health visits, streaming entertainment, working from home, distance learning. We have seen a blending of home and work life before the pandemic, and they will be even more intertwined in the future.
6. WE ARE SOCIAL ANIMALS. While technology is a wonderful tool, we've also learned that it is not a satisfactory substitute for in-person social interaction. Though large cities were hardest hit in the early stages of the pandemic because of how easily the virus was transmitted, cities will recover from this crisis to be stronger than ever, because cities are a place where social needs are most easily met.
7. INEQUALITIES WILL GET WORSE. While we wanted to think of the pandemic as a great equalizer -- a virus can infect anyone, regardless of class or race -- COVID-19 effected marginalized populations in greater proportion. We continue to see an economic disparity, as well, as big companies got even bigger (e.g. Amazon, Home Depot).
8. GLOBALIZATION IS NOT DEAD. There are some who decry globalization, but it's here to stay. "We are all connected, and no one is in control."
9. THE WORLD IS BIPOLAR. America and China have emerged as the two economic superpowers of the world; other countries don't even come close. We may be entering a "second Cold War" with China, but while tension is inevitable, hostilities are not. We need smart political leadership to manage our relationship with China.
10. SOMETIMES THE GREATEST REALISTS ARE THE IDEALISTS. The pandemic was a global problem that, ironically, prompted nations to turn inward -- but our greatest strength comes when we cooperate with each other. Cooperation is not just the ideal way forward; it's the common-sense answer to our problems. We need to cooperate with one another to solve problems like pandemics and climate change.
---
Overall this book was grim but still optimistic. I did find it a little dry in some places (probably because I am so ignorant regarding foreign policy; I pretty much know nothing about our relationship with China except that Trump spent a lot of time and energy blustering about it, but it turns out that there's actually some reason for attention). On the whole, I feel like I learned a lot from this book, and am feeling cautiously optimistic that we can emerge from our current crisis better for it.
Some will describe this pandemic as a "hinge-point" of history, but the author argues that the pandemic will not reshape our future so much as accelerate it. There are "decades when nothing happens, and weeks when decades happen," and I think we can agree that we've had plenty of decade-long weeks lately.
Here are the ten lessons the author details in the book:
1. BUCKLE UP. We can only have two out of the three characteristics of society: open, fast, and stable. Since we are not going to give up being open and fast, we're not going to have the stability we crave. But while we may not be not stable, we are resilient, and we are capable of learning from our mistakes (the Dust Bowl is as a historical example). We need to prepare for another outbreak, because while outbreaks are inevitable, pandemics are optional.
2. WHAT MATTERS IS NOT THE QUANTITY OF GOVERNMENT BUT THE QUALITY. So often, liberals and conservatives argue about the size of government, particularly in America. But we saw during the pandemic that both liberal and conservative governments were capable of controlling the spread of COVID-19 in their countries. We don't necessarily need more government or less government; we need GOOD government.
3. MARKETS ARE NOT ENOUGH. Even while we praised "essential workers" during the early days of the pandemic, we punished them through our capitalistic habits: poor and marginalized people would suffer the greatest from COVID-19. So many Americans are afraid of socialism, but perhaps integrating a few more socialistic policies (as many European countries do) would be beneficial.
4. PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS, AND EXPERTS NEED TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE. Somewhere in the middle of this messy pandemic, "trusting your gut" seemed to overrule trusting science and medicine. The people need to learn to trust the experts. And, as part of gaining that trust, the experts need to tell it to us straight. On the flip side, experts need to realize that many less-educated people resent being told what to do, and treat them with empathy rather than disdain. Also: "listening to the experts" includes trusting experts in many fields, not just scientific; we will benefit from the wisdom of economic experts, as well, before we go shutting down businesses.
5. LIFE IS DIGITAL. We have seen a "new normal" emerge this past year: tele-health visits, streaming entertainment, working from home, distance learning. We have seen a blending of home and work life before the pandemic, and they will be even more intertwined in the future.
6. WE ARE SOCIAL ANIMALS. While technology is a wonderful tool, we've also learned that it is not a satisfactory substitute for in-person social interaction. Though large cities were hardest hit in the early stages of the pandemic because of how easily the virus was transmitted, cities will recover from this crisis to be stronger than ever, because cities are a place where social needs are most easily met.
7. INEQUALITIES WILL GET WORSE. While we wanted to think of the pandemic as a great equalizer -- a virus can infect anyone, regardless of class or race -- COVID-19 effected marginalized populations in greater proportion. We continue to see an economic disparity, as well, as big companies got even bigger (e.g. Amazon, Home Depot).
8. GLOBALIZATION IS NOT DEAD. There are some who decry globalization, but it's here to stay. "We are all connected, and no one is in control."
9. THE WORLD IS BIPOLAR. America and China have emerged as the two economic superpowers of the world; other countries don't even come close. We may be entering a "second Cold War" with China, but while tension is inevitable, hostilities are not. We need smart political leadership to manage our relationship with China.
10. SOMETIMES THE GREATEST REALISTS ARE THE IDEALISTS. The pandemic was a global problem that, ironically, prompted nations to turn inward -- but our greatest strength comes when we cooperate with each other. Cooperation is not just the ideal way forward; it's the common-sense answer to our problems. We need to cooperate with one another to solve problems like pandemics and climate change.
---
Overall this book was grim but still optimistic. I did find it a little dry in some places (probably because I am so ignorant regarding foreign policy; I pretty much know nothing about our relationship with China except that Trump spent a lot of time and energy blustering about it, but it turns out that there's actually some reason for attention). On the whole, I feel like I learned a lot from this book, and am feeling cautiously optimistic that we can emerge from our current crisis better for it.
March 9, 2021
This excellent book is written by Fareed Zakaria noted journalist and political commentator. He reads the audio book with intensity and earnestness. Although it's never boring, it's a bit difficult to mentally retain the Ten Lessons, especially if just listening without benefit of a written version. It's well-researched, and filled with interesting facts and statistics to prove the author's points. In actuality, it addresses macro trends underway prior to the pandemic and explains how those trends either hampered pandemic response, explain the differences in various countries effectiveness, or will continue unabated post-pandemic.
Clearly Zakaria believes that the trend away from investing in the public good in the US has been problematic leading up to the pandemic. According to Zakaria, for the 20th century, the great political debate was about the size and role of government in the economy. But what really matters is the quality of the government. Some effective countries had large governments, while others had smaller ones. What matters most is whether the government was competent and trusted.
The Ten Lessons:
#1 � The (next) dangerous moment is coming; practice caution �
(LESSON ONE � Buckle Up)
#2 � Good Government is required to meet the need �
(LESSON TWO � What Matters Is Not the Quantity of Government but the Quality)
#3 -- Sometimes, markets cannot solve the problem �
(LESSON THREE � Markets Are Not Enough)
#4 � We must respect expertise �
(LESSON FOUR � People Should Listen to the Experts—and Experts Should Listen to the
People)
#5 � Everything that can be digital will be digital --
(LESSON FIVE � Life Is Digital)
#6 � People need, and will find a way to make and maintain, a human connection �
(LESSON SIX � Aristotle Was Right—We Are Social Animals)
#7 � Inequality is real, and is a serious problem �
(LESSON SEVEN � Inequality Will Get Worse)
#8 � We will be global �
(LESSON EIGHT -- Globalization Is Not Dead)
#9 � We are in fact divided; and this is quite a problem �
(LESSON NINE � The World Is Becoming Bipolar)
#10 � We need the dreamers �
(LESSON TEN � Sometimes the Greatest Realists Are the Idealists)
{And, #11 � It’s never over � (CONCLUSION � Nothing Is Written)}
My favorite section was Lesson Seven, which shared some jaw-dropping statistics about the trend toward inequality, emphasizing how that contributed to disparate impacts from COVID-19. Big surprise: inequality between richer and poorer countries has been declining. Abject poverty is just 1/3 of what it was in the 1990s. But, 100 million will fall back into extreme poverty in 2020, with 265 million facing hunger.
Within a country, many have seen internal inequality shrink, while some have seen it increase. Inequality in the US has soared to its highest level since 1928, right before the stock market crash. And the pandemic makes it worse, since the top 25% of income earners have fully recovered in terms of number of jobs. However, the bottom 25% of income earners are still facing a 20% shortfall in jobs. Why? Top income earners work at home on their computers, bottom income workers are often in service industries and face the public, who is still reluctant to gather pre-vaccination.
Zakaria closes with a dialog from Lawrence of Arabia. Offering a glimmer of hope after his dire predictions, he states "It is not written", meaning that we have a chance to make it better by doing the right thing. There is a trajectory, but it isn't predetermined.
Clearly Zakaria believes that the trend away from investing in the public good in the US has been problematic leading up to the pandemic. According to Zakaria, for the 20th century, the great political debate was about the size and role of government in the economy. But what really matters is the quality of the government. Some effective countries had large governments, while others had smaller ones. What matters most is whether the government was competent and trusted.
The Ten Lessons:
#1 � The (next) dangerous moment is coming; practice caution �
(LESSON ONE � Buckle Up)
#2 � Good Government is required to meet the need �
(LESSON TWO � What Matters Is Not the Quantity of Government but the Quality)
#3 -- Sometimes, markets cannot solve the problem �
(LESSON THREE � Markets Are Not Enough)
#4 � We must respect expertise �
(LESSON FOUR � People Should Listen to the Experts—and Experts Should Listen to the
People)
#5 � Everything that can be digital will be digital --
(LESSON FIVE � Life Is Digital)
#6 � People need, and will find a way to make and maintain, a human connection �
(LESSON SIX � Aristotle Was Right—We Are Social Animals)
#7 � Inequality is real, and is a serious problem �
(LESSON SEVEN � Inequality Will Get Worse)
#8 � We will be global �
(LESSON EIGHT -- Globalization Is Not Dead)
#9 � We are in fact divided; and this is quite a problem �
(LESSON NINE � The World Is Becoming Bipolar)
#10 � We need the dreamers �
(LESSON TEN � Sometimes the Greatest Realists Are the Idealists)
{And, #11 � It’s never over � (CONCLUSION � Nothing Is Written)}
My favorite section was Lesson Seven, which shared some jaw-dropping statistics about the trend toward inequality, emphasizing how that contributed to disparate impacts from COVID-19. Big surprise: inequality between richer and poorer countries has been declining. Abject poverty is just 1/3 of what it was in the 1990s. But, 100 million will fall back into extreme poverty in 2020, with 265 million facing hunger.
Within a country, many have seen internal inequality shrink, while some have seen it increase. Inequality in the US has soared to its highest level since 1928, right before the stock market crash. And the pandemic makes it worse, since the top 25% of income earners have fully recovered in terms of number of jobs. However, the bottom 25% of income earners are still facing a 20% shortfall in jobs. Why? Top income earners work at home on their computers, bottom income workers are often in service industries and face the public, who is still reluctant to gather pre-vaccination.
Zakaria closes with a dialog from Lawrence of Arabia. Offering a glimmer of hope after his dire predictions, he states "It is not written", meaning that we have a chance to make it better by doing the right thing. There is a trajectory, but it isn't predetermined.
June 4, 2021
Kniha nic zasadne neprinasa, kto pozna Zakariu, alebo aspon ako tak sleduje dianie vo svete, sa vlastne nic nove nedozvie. I samotne ponaucenia su banalne veci v zmysle "pocuvajte odbornikov" alebo "svet sa globalizuje" ci "historia sa neopakuje" a podobne. Cakal som trochu viac.
Dalsi problem je, ze som cital slovenske vydanie, ktore N Press teda velmi nepodarilo.
Michalovi Liptakovi preklad vobec nevysiel ("billion" po slovensky nie je bilion ale miliarda, political scientist nie je politicky vedec ale politolog...) a svoju robotu poriadne odflakli aj editori (niekde je Thatcherová, inde nejaký Thatcher, niekde Merkelová, inde Merkel, DBG sa sklonuje Davida Ben Guriona, nie Davida Bena-Guriona, su tam preklepy - William Gladstone a Galdstone, nie vzdy je jasne rozlisene, co je poznamka prekladatela a co autora a podobne)
Celkovo som mierne sklamany knihou a velmi sklamany slovenskym vydanim. Skoda.
Dalsi problem je, ze som cital slovenske vydanie, ktore N Press teda velmi nepodarilo.
Michalovi Liptakovi preklad vobec nevysiel ("billion" po slovensky nie je bilion ale miliarda, political scientist nie je politicky vedec ale politolog...) a svoju robotu poriadne odflakli aj editori (niekde je Thatcherová, inde nejaký Thatcher, niekde Merkelová, inde Merkel, DBG sa sklonuje Davida Ben Guriona, nie Davida Bena-Guriona, su tam preklepy - William Gladstone a Galdstone, nie vzdy je jasne rozlisene, co je poznamka prekladatela a co autora a podobne)
Celkovo som mierne sklamany knihou a velmi sklamany slovenskym vydanim. Skoda.
January 5, 2021
كتاب يستحق القراءة... عالم ما بعد كوفيد يعلمنا أن وباء في منطقة نائية وبعيدة هو وباء في أحيائنا المجاورة
September 5, 2021
4.2 stars
ده درس بعد از پاندومی های فراگیر( کرونا)
یک کتاب بسیار خوش خوان با ترجمه ای روان که به خوبی خواننده را با اصول حاکم بر اقتصاد جهانی آشنا میکند .. خصوصا به طور ویژه به روابط چین و آمریکا و سیاست های حاکم بر روابط این دو کشور به عنوان دو کشوری که حدود 41 درصد از اقتصاد جهان را در اختیار دارند می پردازد
این اثر به مجموعه اقدامات کشورها و سیاست های اتخاذ شده آنها در خصوص کنترل این بیماری می پردازد و در این رهگذر اقدامات کشورهایی همچون تایوان، کره جنوبی، دانمارک، یونان و..... را ستایش می کند
کرونا به عنوان یک پاندومی که می تواند اثر جدی در نظام اقتصادی مبتنی بر بازار( اقتصاد لیبرالیستی) داشته باشد توسط نویسنده این اثر مورد بررسی قرار گرفته است
رقابت های بین چین و آمریکا و رقابت این دو کشور و احتمال وقوع یک جنگ سرد دیگر ، توسط نویسنده بررسی شده است
بیماری کرونا مسلما یک شوک در ابتدا تمام کشورهای درگیر وارد کرد... کشورهایی که اغلب به دنبال روابط باز بودند ، به سرعت اقدامات کنترلی ویژه ای را ترتیب دادند و در این بین از این امر ناراحت بودند که چرا نمی توانند نیازهای بهداشتی و درمانی اولیه خود را تامین کنند... اتکا به بازار آزاد و عدم تامین لوازم مصرفی در کشورهای پیشرفته موجب شد که یک نگاه درون زاد داشته باشند و این امر در ظهارات رئیس جمهور فرانسه که در رسانه ها منعکس شد، مشهود بود
اما در ادامه کشورها دریافتند که برای کنترل بیماری نیاز به همکاری با یکدیگر دارند، چرا که اقتصاد جهانی مبتنی بر بازار آزاد تا زمانی که کشورها درگیر باشند نمی تواند منافع عمومی را تامین کند و اساسا در این خصوص کشورها� پیشرفته ، بیشترین ضربه را می خورند چرا که طبعا بالاترین ارزش صادرات را دارند
کشتار بی سابقه این بیماری وجود فاصله طبقاتی و سیاست های ناکارامد اقتصادی را مشهود کرد ، با این وجود بشر آیا می تواند با این هزینه ای که داده است، اقدام به طراحی سیستمی فراگیر در حوزه اقتصادی و سیاسی کند تا از آن طریق بتواند از وقوع حوادث و وقایع مشابه جلوگیری کند.؟
ده درس بعد از پاندومی های فراگیر( کرونا)
یک کتاب بسیار خوش خوان با ترجمه ای روان که به خوبی خواننده را با اصول حاکم بر اقتصاد جهانی آشنا میکند .. خصوصا به طور ویژه به روابط چین و آمریکا و سیاست های حاکم بر روابط این دو کشور به عنوان دو کشوری که حدود 41 درصد از اقتصاد جهان را در اختیار دارند می پردازد
این اثر به مجموعه اقدامات کشورها و سیاست های اتخاذ شده آنها در خصوص کنترل این بیماری می پردازد و در این رهگذر اقدامات کشورهایی همچون تایوان، کره جنوبی، دانمارک، یونان و..... را ستایش می کند
کرونا به عنوان یک پاندومی که می تواند اثر جدی در نظام اقتصادی مبتنی بر بازار( اقتصاد لیبرالیستی) داشته باشد توسط نویسنده این اثر مورد بررسی قرار گرفته است
رقابت های بین چین و آمریکا و رقابت این دو کشور و احتمال وقوع یک جنگ سرد دیگر ، توسط نویسنده بررسی شده است
بیماری کرونا مسلما یک شوک در ابتدا تمام کشورهای درگیر وارد کرد... کشورهایی که اغلب به دنبال روابط باز بودند ، به سرعت اقدامات کنترلی ویژه ای را ترتیب دادند و در این بین از این امر ناراحت بودند که چرا نمی توانند نیازهای بهداشتی و درمانی اولیه خود را تامین کنند... اتکا به بازار آزاد و عدم تامین لوازم مصرفی در کشورهای پیشرفته موجب شد که یک نگاه درون زاد داشته باشند و این امر در ظهارات رئیس جمهور فرانسه که در رسانه ها منعکس شد، مشهود بود
اما در ادامه کشورها دریافتند که برای کنترل بیماری نیاز به همکاری با یکدیگر دارند، چرا که اقتصاد جهانی مبتنی بر بازار آزاد تا زمانی که کشورها درگیر باشند نمی تواند منافع عمومی را تامین کند و اساسا در این خصوص کشورها� پیشرفته ، بیشترین ضربه را می خورند چرا که طبعا بالاترین ارزش صادرات را دارند
کشتار بی سابقه این بیماری وجود فاصله طبقاتی و سیاست های ناکارامد اقتصادی را مشهود کرد ، با این وجود بشر آیا می تواند با این هزینه ای که داده است، اقدام به طراحی سیستمی فراگیر در حوزه اقتصادی و سیاسی کند تا از آن طریق بتواند از وقوع حوادث و وقایع مشابه جلوگیری کند.؟
November 27, 2020
This is an excellent primer for domestic and foreign policy considerations at the end of and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Fareed Zakaria is the ever-sure guide through the many different competing factions at every trade and political level and his admonitions and suggestions are not of the short soundbite type designed to provoked, but rather thorough evaluations with complicated yet necessary proscriptions. The ten lessons are titled:
1) Buckle Up 2) What matters is not the quantity of government but the quality 3) Markets are not enough 4) People should listen to the experts-and experts should listen to the people 5) LIfe is digital
6) Aristotle was right-we are social animals 7) Inequality will get worse 8) Globalization is not dead 9) The world is becoming bipolar 10) Sometimes the greatest realists are the idealists.
For me the second section was of particular import as yet again we have been put through the meat-grinder of an american election, the most divisive in recent history, and this stupid, over-simplified and completely irrelevant notion about the size of the US government is resurrected to try and somehow make the government of Trump somewhat comparable to that of the first person to hold the job of president while hating the need for such a government, Reagan. Also, the discussion about our relationship with China which has been much discussed, little resolved, and made all the more stupid by Trump and his unilateral withdrawal from international agreements and trade deals, is perhaps the most important economic consideration going forward. Are all western democracies fated to become essentially entirely service industries and further our dependence on manufacturing from our primary economic rivals? The trend would suggest yes, but could be bucked by populist/nationalist blowhards not being elected and countries with similar interest pooling their economic weight to change this trend.
All in all a fine examination of so many issues and one which does not linger on doom and gloom nor does it present some rosy picture of life once the vaccine arrives. This is the level of examination and clarity you would expect from Zakaria, and time after time he delivers and time after time his warnings and admonitions have been dead on. To close the review, here is the quote from his June 25th 2017 show (reread that date) that is also quoted on the back of the book:
"Once of the biggest threats facing the United States isn't big at all. Actually, it's tiny, microscopic, thousands of times smaller than the head of a pin. Deadly pathogens, either man-made or natural, could trigger a global health crisis, and the United States is wholly unprepared to deal with it...Densely packed cities, wars, natural disasters, and international air travel mean a deadly virus propagated in a small village in Africa can be transmitted almost anywhere in the world, including the United States, within 24 hours...Bio-security and global pandemics cut across all national boundaries. Pathogens, viruses, and diseases are equal-opportunity killers. When the crisis comes, we will wish we had more funding and more global cooperation. But then, it will be too late."
As of today, 11/26/2020, the US has 12,879,864 cases and 263,417 deaths. Respectively, 21% of global cases, and 18% of global deaths, with 4% of global population.
1) Buckle Up 2) What matters is not the quantity of government but the quality 3) Markets are not enough 4) People should listen to the experts-and experts should listen to the people 5) LIfe is digital
6) Aristotle was right-we are social animals 7) Inequality will get worse 8) Globalization is not dead 9) The world is becoming bipolar 10) Sometimes the greatest realists are the idealists.
For me the second section was of particular import as yet again we have been put through the meat-grinder of an american election, the most divisive in recent history, and this stupid, over-simplified and completely irrelevant notion about the size of the US government is resurrected to try and somehow make the government of Trump somewhat comparable to that of the first person to hold the job of president while hating the need for such a government, Reagan. Also, the discussion about our relationship with China which has been much discussed, little resolved, and made all the more stupid by Trump and his unilateral withdrawal from international agreements and trade deals, is perhaps the most important economic consideration going forward. Are all western democracies fated to become essentially entirely service industries and further our dependence on manufacturing from our primary economic rivals? The trend would suggest yes, but could be bucked by populist/nationalist blowhards not being elected and countries with similar interest pooling their economic weight to change this trend.
All in all a fine examination of so many issues and one which does not linger on doom and gloom nor does it present some rosy picture of life once the vaccine arrives. This is the level of examination and clarity you would expect from Zakaria, and time after time he delivers and time after time his warnings and admonitions have been dead on. To close the review, here is the quote from his June 25th 2017 show (reread that date) that is also quoted on the back of the book:
"Once of the biggest threats facing the United States isn't big at all. Actually, it's tiny, microscopic, thousands of times smaller than the head of a pin. Deadly pathogens, either man-made or natural, could trigger a global health crisis, and the United States is wholly unprepared to deal with it...Densely packed cities, wars, natural disasters, and international air travel mean a deadly virus propagated in a small village in Africa can be transmitted almost anywhere in the world, including the United States, within 24 hours...Bio-security and global pandemics cut across all national boundaries. Pathogens, viruses, and diseases are equal-opportunity killers. When the crisis comes, we will wish we had more funding and more global cooperation. But then, it will be too late."
As of today, 11/26/2020, the US has 12,879,864 cases and 263,417 deaths. Respectively, 21% of global cases, and 18% of global deaths, with 4% of global population.
December 15, 2020
It's definitely a good book but I have two objections on what Zakaria writes. First I believe that is too early to evaluate some of his data and the conclusions he draws may be falsy (e.g. He mentions that Greece handled the pandemic very well because its prime minister listened to experts, but now we see a 2nd wave that hits the country much harder, and probably was a combination of luck and fear that the 1st wave was not that severe). My second objection is on the title of the book, most of the things he mentions would have happen with or without the covid-19, maybe the virus accelerates a few but they were already on their way to happen (e.g. the chapter about the Digital Life and the changes that are about to happen in the working places), it just felt that the publisher or Zakaria decided to put "pandemic" on the title of the book to sell more copies.
April 21, 2021
The Covid-19 epidemic may well turn out to be a transformational event for the world. Black swan occurrences like this come out of the blue, and can greatly accelerate changes that were already in the works. We all know how Covid has changed our lives during the pandemic, but what lasting effects will this pandemic leave after it's long gone? How will our world in 2025 look different from the one of 2019?
Fareed Zakaria is a smart and well-known writer who has written many books and newspaper columns about the issues of our day, and I wanted to hear his take on how the pandemic could change us. Mind you, this book, Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, was published in October of 2020, so I question just how much perspective Zakaria could have had while knocking this book out in the first months of the pandemic. As I write this a year later, we still don't know near enough about the lasting effects of Covid-19 and when society can truly transition to normalcy.
What I can say is that I see one huge transition still in the works, the effects of which I still can't completely wrap my head around: many things that we used to do in person are more likely to be done virtually from now on- work, education, medical visits, entertainment, sporting events, conventions, and shopping. The impact of not dealing with other human beings in person, where tone of voice and body language can comprise 90% of communications, will have a huge impact on us all.
That said, here are Fareed Zakaria's ten lessons:
1- Buckle up- change is accelerating. Covid is just a sign of what's to come.
2- Quality of government is more important than the quantity. We can learn much from watching how different countries reacted to the pandemic. Some, like Korea, Canada, Taiwan, and Germany used smart tactics to minimize the damage done to their people and economies. Others, like India, Brazil, and the US, had weak or indifferent governments who never took the pandemic seriously, with devastating results for their countries.
3- Markets are not enough. Libertarian assumptions that market forces will fix most problems fell apart during Covid. Public health is not something that private companies can deal with, and it's more apparent now than ever that sometimes strong collective (aka government) action is needed to deal with crises.
4- People should listen to experts and vice versa. Politicians in many areas ignored advice from the medical community. But the scientific experts don't get off the hook here- they need to listen to their communities better and connect with the doubters more effectively.
5- Life is digital. The power of software, artificial intelligence, mobile phones, zoom meetings, telehealth, streaming movies, Pelotons and more show how quickly things are changing, as all became more prevalent and powerful during the pandemic. Change is coming to the economy and we need to plan for the transition with jobs and training.
6- We are social animals and cities are where things are happening. Cities will endure and become even more dominant in politics and economics in the future. They need to be made more affordable, livable, and sustainable.
7- Inequality will get worse. The power of Big Data will make the rich even richer, leaving most of us in the dust. Covid hit poor people much harder, both physically and fiscally, and something will need to be done to close this gap to avoid a dystopian future.
8- Globalization is not dead. Even though the US tried to pursue an isolationist "America First" policy, the world has continued to develop vast interconnected networks. The development of vaccines required international cooperation, as did the provision of masks, drugs, and disinfectants that keep Covid 19 at bay. In coordination with #5- life is digital- everything digital is now global.
9- The world is bipolar. The two poles are the US and China, and China's growth while America declines could be the story of the 21st century. The Chinese have moved quickly to integrate its products and services into the rest of the world, and their rising power and influence cannot be ignored.
10- Sometimes the greatest realists are idealists. Fareed is big on the liberal international order. Open systems and democratic governments outplayed isolationists, dictators, and ideologues. The types of government that use cooperation and collaboration to solve common problems will prevail in the future over the likes of Putin, Trump, and Xi.
This is an interesting read, even if the 10 lessons don't exactly tie in together very much. There wasn't anything earth-shattering in his list of lessons, but it's always nice to hear a smart person lay things out professionally as food for thought. That said, there is still a place for a thought-provoking book on how the move to virtual is changing everything and how we can adapt to it- but this is not that book.
Many mistakes have been made during this pandemic. People died needlessly and misinformation still seems to be everywhere. Hopefully people have learned something from those mistakes so that future pandemics won't have as drastic an impact. I'm not so sure. Covid is a terrible disease, but not nearly as deadly as smallpox or as communicable as measles. If we want to progress as a people, we need to learn the hard lessons that disasters like this provide. We are here to learn. Books like this help point out the lessons that we need to take away from this experience.
July 29, 2021
This was a really good book. Made me a little nervous for the years to come, but it is also a call to action to change things while we still can.
October 30, 2020
This is a breezy read which you can burn through all the pages in an afternoon, or may be two afternoons if you are a bit pensive in your reading.
I've been reading Fareed since his time at Newsweek when I was a lil lad, I have this funny story where I got a copy of my dad's Newsweek lying around when I was about 7 or 8 years old thereabout and read Fareed's article which the only thing I can now remember about it was that it was about Boris Yeltsin. After glancing at the accompanying picture, I asked my elder brother whether that was Yeltsin and he told me no, that was Fareed Zakaria. Yeah, I have been reading Fareed since I was 8, I have also read his other books and when I get time I listen in to his CNN show. This caveat is to warn the reader that this is not a dispassionate review from an average reader but rather likely from someone who agrees with most of what Fareed has to say.
Still, take my personal bent out of this, the book is a good analysis on a possible post covid world. It takes the undercurrents of factors that have been brought to the fore by the covid 19 pandemic. The change in the nature of work, the shifting dynamics on global geopolitics and the challenges that the future may bring, all this sprinkled with a healthy dose of history. The 10 rules are not a checklist to turning you into a prophet but rather the spirit is to get you into a mindset of thinking critically about the present and what it portends for the future. I suspect 10 is just a random placeholder and a marketing gimmick and the real number could be some unglamorous number like 11 or 42.
There are cartloads of issues handled in this book and if I review them all I will be writing a whole new book, I will only speak of two issues which stand above the rest. One will be the idea of earned income tax credit as opposed to universal basic income. I don't understand why this idea is not widely known when it has the potential of being stratospherically better than UBI. UBI is a bankrupt idea that proposes we bribe the losers of the current market economy with little money on the promise that they don't cause chaos. There is more to work than just earning money and leisure is overrated. Excessive leisure as the aristocracy of bygone times has proven degenerates into bottom of the barrel vice and turning one into a poor excuse of a human being, that we intend to unleash it into the populace speaks of the bankruptcy of pragmatic ideas in our own time... The second issue I felt Fareed glossed over is the decline of America. A topic where any writer who tackles it cherry picks the statistics they want and then go on to churn a product that is more reflective of their bias than a reasoned analysis.
I will not be any different. Here I go; in my opinion there are two America's. Capital America that is personified in corporates and the individual America that is personified in actual human persons. It is the latter that is on the decline. The former has never been better, it has benefited heavily from globalisation and it doesn't matter who is the president, they'll still find a way to be on the way up. The latter on the other hand has paid a heavy cost in layoffs, runway cost inflation on the back of declining income leading to a slew of grim statistics the most prominent one being the opiod epidemic and the deaths of despair. I feel this dichotomy has to be borne in mind when we talk of the decline of America...
Rather than go on and on adding to the litany of my foreign policy biases and forget that am supposed to review a book, I'll advise the reader to buy this book, read it and make their own minds on whether Fareed is blowing hot air or is substance. I vote substance.
I've been reading Fareed since his time at Newsweek when I was a lil lad, I have this funny story where I got a copy of my dad's Newsweek lying around when I was about 7 or 8 years old thereabout and read Fareed's article which the only thing I can now remember about it was that it was about Boris Yeltsin. After glancing at the accompanying picture, I asked my elder brother whether that was Yeltsin and he told me no, that was Fareed Zakaria. Yeah, I have been reading Fareed since I was 8, I have also read his other books and when I get time I listen in to his CNN show. This caveat is to warn the reader that this is not a dispassionate review from an average reader but rather likely from someone who agrees with most of what Fareed has to say.
Still, take my personal bent out of this, the book is a good analysis on a possible post covid world. It takes the undercurrents of factors that have been brought to the fore by the covid 19 pandemic. The change in the nature of work, the shifting dynamics on global geopolitics and the challenges that the future may bring, all this sprinkled with a healthy dose of history. The 10 rules are not a checklist to turning you into a prophet but rather the spirit is to get you into a mindset of thinking critically about the present and what it portends for the future. I suspect 10 is just a random placeholder and a marketing gimmick and the real number could be some unglamorous number like 11 or 42.
There are cartloads of issues handled in this book and if I review them all I will be writing a whole new book, I will only speak of two issues which stand above the rest. One will be the idea of earned income tax credit as opposed to universal basic income. I don't understand why this idea is not widely known when it has the potential of being stratospherically better than UBI. UBI is a bankrupt idea that proposes we bribe the losers of the current market economy with little money on the promise that they don't cause chaos. There is more to work than just earning money and leisure is overrated. Excessive leisure as the aristocracy of bygone times has proven degenerates into bottom of the barrel vice and turning one into a poor excuse of a human being, that we intend to unleash it into the populace speaks of the bankruptcy of pragmatic ideas in our own time... The second issue I felt Fareed glossed over is the decline of America. A topic where any writer who tackles it cherry picks the statistics they want and then go on to churn a product that is more reflective of their bias than a reasoned analysis.
I will not be any different. Here I go; in my opinion there are two America's. Capital America that is personified in corporates and the individual America that is personified in actual human persons. It is the latter that is on the decline. The former has never been better, it has benefited heavily from globalisation and it doesn't matter who is the president, they'll still find a way to be on the way up. The latter on the other hand has paid a heavy cost in layoffs, runway cost inflation on the back of declining income leading to a slew of grim statistics the most prominent one being the opiod epidemic and the deaths of despair. I feel this dichotomy has to be borne in mind when we talk of the decline of America...
Rather than go on and on adding to the litany of my foreign policy biases and forget that am supposed to review a book, I'll advise the reader to buy this book, read it and make their own minds on whether Fareed is blowing hot air or is substance. I vote substance.
March 6, 2021
عواقب الأوبئة
.
.
في الآيات الافتتاحية لإلياذة هوميروس ، يهاجم الوباء الجيوش اليونانية. يقال أنه عقاب إلهي موجه إلى زعيمهم ، الملك أجاممنون العبثي ، الجشع ، المشاكس.
يؤرخ «ثيوسيديدس» الصراع الطويل بين القوتين العظميين في ذلك العصر ، أثينا وسبارتا. كتب ثيوسيديدس أنه في بداية الحرب ، اجتاح وباء رهيب أثينا ، مما أسفر عن مقتل أعداد كبيرة من المواطنين الأصحاء ، والأهم من ذلك ، بريكليس ، زعيم الدولة المدنية الذي لا مثيل له.
كان للجانبين أنظمة سياسية مختلفة تمامًا: كانت أثينا ديمقراطية ، وكانت سبارتا مجتمعًا محاربًا أكثر صرامة. سادت سبارتا في النهاية ، وليس من المبالغة القول أنه لو لم يكن هناك وباء ، لكانت أثينا قد انتصرت ، وكان مسار التاريخ الغربي مختلفًا - حيث تصبح الديمقراطية النابضة بالحياة نموذجًا يحتذى به بدلاً من نظام سبارطا الصارم ؛ الأوبئة لها عواقب .
كان الطاعون هو الوباء الأكثر انتشارًا حتى الآن ، والذي بدأ في آسيا الوسطى في ثلاثينيات القرن الثالث عشر وانتشر إلى أوروبا في العقد التالي. اتهم أحد مؤرخي العصور الوسطى المغول بإدخال المرض إلى القارة عن طريق إطلاق جثث موبوءة بالطاعون إلى إلى إحدى القلاع بواسطة المنجنيق - وهو سلاح بيولوجي مبكر.
على الأرجح ، انتشر الطاعون من خلال التجارة العالمية ، التي تحملها القوافل والسفن التي تنقل البضائع من الشرق إلى الموانئ الرئيسية مثل ميسينا في صقلية ومرسيليا في فرنسا. يُطلق عليه أيضًا اسم الموت الأسود ، وقد حملته البراغيث على ظهور الفئران وهاجم الجهاز اللمفاوي لضحاياه ، مما تسبب في المعاناة والموت على نطاق لم يسبق له مثيل منذ ذلك الحين. تم القضاء على ما يصل إلى نصف سكان أوروبا. هذا المرض ، مثل كثير من الأمراض ، لم يتم استئصاله بالكامل. لا تزال منظمة الصحة العالمية تبلغ عن بضع مئات من حالات الطاعون كل عام ، لحسن الحظ يمكن علاجها الآن بالمضادات الحيوية.
كان للطاعون آثار زلزالية. يعتقد العلماء أنه مع موت الكثير ، انقلبت اقتصادات ذلك الوقت رأساً على عقب. يوضح «والتر شيديل» أن العمالة أصبحت نادرة والأراضي وافرة ، وبالتالي ارتفعت الأجور وانخفضت الإيجارات. فاز العمال بمزيد من القدرة على المساومة وخسر النبلاء. ذبلت العبودية في كثير من دول أوروبا الغربية.
بالطبع ، يختلف التأثير من بلد إلى آخر بناءً على الهياكل الاقتصادية والسياسية لكل دولة . ارتفعت نسبة عدم المساواة في الواقع في بعض الأماكن التي اتخذت إجراءات قمعية. على سبيل المثال ، استخدم الملاك النبلاء في أوروبا الشرقية البؤس والفوضى لإحكام قبضتهم وفرض الضرائب .
أبعد من هذه الآثار المادية ، أدى الطاعون إلى ثورة فكرية. تساءل العديد من الأوروبيين في القرن الرابع عشر عن سبب سماح الله بحصول هذا الجحيم على الأرض وتساءلوا عن التسلسلات الهرمية الراسخة - والتي كان لها التأثير النهائي في مساعدة أوروبا على الخروج من ضائقة القرون الوسطى وإطلاق عصر النهضة والإصلاح والتنوير. من الموت والرعب جاء العلم والحداثة والنمو. مع Covid-19 ، لحسن الحظ ، لا نواجه نفس معدل الوفيات الجماعي. ولكن هل يمكن أن تثير جائحة عصرنا روحًا مماثلة من الاستبطان المجتمعي ، ولعلها تكون صدمة مكافئة لشعورنا بالرضا عن النفس؟
.
Fareed Zakaria
Ten Lessons For A Post-Panademic World
Translated By: Maher_Razouk
.
.
في الآيات الافتتاحية لإلياذة هوميروس ، يهاجم الوباء الجيوش اليونانية. يقال أنه عقاب إلهي موجه إلى زعيمهم ، الملك أجاممنون العبثي ، الجشع ، المشاكس.
يؤرخ «ثيوسيديدس» الصراع الطويل بين القوتين العظميين في ذلك العصر ، أثينا وسبارتا. كتب ثيوسيديدس أنه في بداية الحرب ، اجتاح وباء رهيب أثينا ، مما أسفر عن مقتل أعداد كبيرة من المواطنين الأصحاء ، والأهم من ذلك ، بريكليس ، زعيم الدولة المدنية الذي لا مثيل له.
كان للجانبين أنظمة سياسية مختلفة تمامًا: كانت أثينا ديمقراطية ، وكانت سبارتا مجتمعًا محاربًا أكثر صرامة. سادت سبارتا في النهاية ، وليس من المبالغة القول أنه لو لم يكن هناك وباء ، لكانت أثينا قد انتصرت ، وكان مسار التاريخ الغربي مختلفًا - حيث تصبح الديمقراطية النابضة بالحياة نموذجًا يحتذى به بدلاً من نظام سبارطا الصارم ؛ الأوبئة لها عواقب .
كان الطاعون هو الوباء الأكثر انتشارًا حتى الآن ، والذي بدأ في آسيا الوسطى في ثلاثينيات القرن الثالث عشر وانتشر إلى أوروبا في العقد التالي. اتهم أحد مؤرخي العصور الوسطى المغول بإدخال المرض إلى القارة عن طريق إطلاق جثث موبوءة بالطاعون إلى إلى إحدى القلاع بواسطة المنجنيق - وهو سلاح بيولوجي مبكر.
على الأرجح ، انتشر الطاعون من خلال التجارة العالمية ، التي تحملها القوافل والسفن التي تنقل البضائع من الشرق إلى الموانئ الرئيسية مثل ميسينا في صقلية ومرسيليا في فرنسا. يُطلق عليه أيضًا اسم الموت الأسود ، وقد حملته البراغيث على ظهور الفئران وهاجم الجهاز اللمفاوي لضحاياه ، مما تسبب في المعاناة والموت على نطاق لم يسبق له مثيل منذ ذلك الحين. تم القضاء على ما يصل إلى نصف سكان أوروبا. هذا المرض ، مثل كثير من الأمراض ، لم يتم استئصاله بالكامل. لا تزال منظمة الصحة العالمية تبلغ عن بضع مئات من حالات الطاعون كل عام ، لحسن الحظ يمكن علاجها الآن بالمضادات الحيوية.
كان للطاعون آثار زلزالية. يعتقد العلماء أنه مع موت الكثير ، انقلبت اقتصادات ذلك الوقت رأساً على عقب. يوضح «والتر شيديل» أن العمالة أصبحت نادرة والأراضي وافرة ، وبالتالي ارتفعت الأجور وانخفضت الإيجارات. فاز العمال بمزيد من القدرة على المساومة وخسر النبلاء. ذبلت العبودية في كثير من دول أوروبا الغربية.
بالطبع ، يختلف التأثير من بلد إلى آخر بناءً على الهياكل الاقتصادية والسياسية لكل دولة . ارتفعت نسبة عدم المساواة في الواقع في بعض الأماكن التي اتخذت إجراءات قمعية. على سبيل المثال ، استخدم الملاك النبلاء في أوروبا الشرقية البؤس والفوضى لإحكام قبضتهم وفرض الضرائب .
أبعد من هذه الآثار المادية ، أدى الطاعون إلى ثورة فكرية. تساءل العديد من الأوروبيين في القرن الرابع عشر عن سبب سماح الله بحصول هذا الجحيم على الأرض وتساءلوا عن التسلسلات الهرمية الراسخة - والتي كان لها التأثير النهائي في مساعدة أوروبا على الخروج من ضائقة القرون الوسطى وإطلاق عصر النهضة والإصلاح والتنوير. من الموت والرعب جاء العلم والحداثة والنمو. مع Covid-19 ، لحسن الحظ ، لا نواجه نفس معدل الوفيات الجماعي. ولكن هل يمكن أن تثير جائحة عصرنا روحًا مماثلة من الاستبطان المجتمعي ، ولعلها تكون صدمة مكافئة لشعورنا بالرضا عن النفس؟
.
Fareed Zakaria
Ten Lessons For A Post-Panademic World
Translated By: Maher_Razouk
June 13, 2021
Took me almost 4 months to finish this book after buying it. At an earlier stage, I just read a or two chapters every night before I sleep. After that, almost 2 months I left this book without reading it because I'm on the other book.
I enjoyed the earlier chapters the most and felt quite bored on the few chapters later. The author mastered the topic of international affairs and made a very good analysis of the post-pandemic world. This book was written even before the change of US President so that most of the analysis focuses on the Trump leadership in handling this pandemic.
I so in love with all the historical facts and stories mentioned in this book particularly on world affairs. We should reflect the history so we can predict the future. And the author did best in this.
And yes the author also quoted so many other books in this book! I comprehend this greatly.
A good read to truly weigh the consequences of this pandemic in a big picture view. Nothing is written, it’s ours to take that opportunity or squander it.
I enjoyed the earlier chapters the most and felt quite bored on the few chapters later. The author mastered the topic of international affairs and made a very good analysis of the post-pandemic world. This book was written even before the change of US President so that most of the analysis focuses on the Trump leadership in handling this pandemic.
I so in love with all the historical facts and stories mentioned in this book particularly on world affairs. We should reflect the history so we can predict the future. And the author did best in this.
And yes the author also quoted so many other books in this book! I comprehend this greatly.
A good read to truly weigh the consequences of this pandemic in a big picture view. Nothing is written, it’s ours to take that opportunity or squander it.
February 17, 2021
Yes, inequality is increasing, the US has a dysfunctional political system, remote work is here to stay, and yes, self-driving cars are coming to your street soon! Nothing new is being said in this book, although admittedly it's difficult to draw lessons from the pandemic, when the pandemic is not over...
January 1, 2021
Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World, by Fareed Zakaria, is an interesting book on how the global COVID-19 pandemic may effect politics, particularly in the United States of America. This book looks at ten "lessons" for post-pandemic politics, which are more like ruminations on how specific policy areas may be affected by the crisis. Zakaria notes that this pandemic may be the first of man new crisis, and these may happen with more regularity. He recommends that policy makers prepare for further issues with this and future pandemics and crisis. The quality of government is examined as well, with Zakaria noting that this crisis showed which governments were prepared to combat it, and which have failed at doing so. This has transcended a right-left divide. Left-leaning countries like Germany, New Zealand and Canada are noted for doing well to combat the pandemic and support their citizens, but others like Sweden and Mexico faired poorly. Ditto on the Right; nations like Australia and Japan had right leaning governments in power, and did remarkably well, nations like the United States, United Kingdom and Brazil did not. Nor did this show that democracies were more effective; China has been a poster boy for pandemic response, and international support throughout this crisis (save for the beginning of the crisis, when it sought to quell information on it), not to mention the success of authoritarian Singapore and other states. However, other authoritarian states like Iran and Russia struggled with the crisis. Democracies had the same issue; South Korea, Japan, Germany and the like did well, but the US, UK, Italy and France struggled to combat the crisis.
Zakaria also looks at a number of other changes to global policy-making. Market economics seems to have taken another hit of confidence in this crisis. The failure of market driven economies to combat the crisis, versus the "Market-Leninism" of China, or the bureaucracy of the EU is notable. Countries with strong public investments in health care, elder care, and medical production did extremely well, and nations with market driven healthcare systems faired abysmally. The issue of support for citizens was also a major turning point in this policy issue. Some nations bailed out large corporations while avoiding support for citizens who lost jobs. This has played right into the hands of populists globally, who have rightfully noted the lack of concern governments have shown for the average citizen. More policy options are explored, from the rhetorical hit that globalists have taken in the face of increasingly domestic production, to the rhetoric around experts and the challenges they faced in dealing with a novel virus. The digitization of the economy is discussed, as millions across the globe begin to work from home more regularly, conduct job interviews remotely, take classes from home, and so forth. The changing nature that this pandemic has had on how we interact with each other is also discussed. People have been forced to use online platforms to speak with family, bank using their credit cards online or through mobile apps, go on dates remotely, and stick with their immediate household or themselves if they live alone. Zakaria notes that inequality will worsen after the crisis - industrializing nations have been hit hard, as Western investors have fled to home markets. Domestically, the rich were disproportionately bailed out, making inequality worse for small businesses, workers who were laid off or sent home, and those in precarious working situations.
Zakaria looks at the growing bipolarity of global politics. The United States unquestionably bungled there response to this crisis. With the highest case load in the world by far, and the continuing political struggles that they are having to administer vaccines, support citizens, or even pass basic budget bills during a crisis, many across the globe are shaking there heads and looking elsewhere. On the flip side, the Chinese government has used COVID-19 as a diplomatic coup, using so called mask diplomacy to support health care systems in other countries and build better relationships. Zakaria is suspicious of Chinese motives (as al Western policy makers are - and probably rightly), but the fact remains: the US has taken a huge step back in this crisis, and many countries have noted this shift. Whether the US recovers under future presidents remains to be seen, but it is certainly the case that politicians and citizens from the rest of the world will look at US programs and policies with increasing suspicion, and seek to balance their interests in our growingly diversified world.
A very interesting book, and one I suspect is an early comer in an inevitable deluge about the politics of health and medicine, economic comparisons of nations and how they fared in the crisis, and political books on responses, policies and biographies of leading politicians and health care workers through the crisis. This will be the publishing industries next Trump, and I am sure there will be some good, some bad, and some pretty exploitative ones. Zakaria's is a good place to start.
Zakaria also looks at a number of other changes to global policy-making. Market economics seems to have taken another hit of confidence in this crisis. The failure of market driven economies to combat the crisis, versus the "Market-Leninism" of China, or the bureaucracy of the EU is notable. Countries with strong public investments in health care, elder care, and medical production did extremely well, and nations with market driven healthcare systems faired abysmally. The issue of support for citizens was also a major turning point in this policy issue. Some nations bailed out large corporations while avoiding support for citizens who lost jobs. This has played right into the hands of populists globally, who have rightfully noted the lack of concern governments have shown for the average citizen. More policy options are explored, from the rhetorical hit that globalists have taken in the face of increasingly domestic production, to the rhetoric around experts and the challenges they faced in dealing with a novel virus. The digitization of the economy is discussed, as millions across the globe begin to work from home more regularly, conduct job interviews remotely, take classes from home, and so forth. The changing nature that this pandemic has had on how we interact with each other is also discussed. People have been forced to use online platforms to speak with family, bank using their credit cards online or through mobile apps, go on dates remotely, and stick with their immediate household or themselves if they live alone. Zakaria notes that inequality will worsen after the crisis - industrializing nations have been hit hard, as Western investors have fled to home markets. Domestically, the rich were disproportionately bailed out, making inequality worse for small businesses, workers who were laid off or sent home, and those in precarious working situations.
Zakaria looks at the growing bipolarity of global politics. The United States unquestionably bungled there response to this crisis. With the highest case load in the world by far, and the continuing political struggles that they are having to administer vaccines, support citizens, or even pass basic budget bills during a crisis, many across the globe are shaking there heads and looking elsewhere. On the flip side, the Chinese government has used COVID-19 as a diplomatic coup, using so called mask diplomacy to support health care systems in other countries and build better relationships. Zakaria is suspicious of Chinese motives (as al Western policy makers are - and probably rightly), but the fact remains: the US has taken a huge step back in this crisis, and many countries have noted this shift. Whether the US recovers under future presidents remains to be seen, but it is certainly the case that politicians and citizens from the rest of the world will look at US programs and policies with increasing suspicion, and seek to balance their interests in our growingly diversified world.
A very interesting book, and one I suspect is an early comer in an inevitable deluge about the politics of health and medicine, economic comparisons of nations and how they fared in the crisis, and political books on responses, policies and biographies of leading politicians and health care workers through the crisis. This will be the publishing industries next Trump, and I am sure there will be some good, some bad, and some pretty exploitative ones. Zakaria's is a good place to start.
February 12, 2021
Desať lekcií pre post-pandemický svet je kniha slávneho amerického politického analytika Fareeda Zahkariu, ktorá sa snaží zahorúca reflektovať, čo sa zmení v globálnom svete po pandémii. Zakhariove lekcie však mnohých jeho prívržencov sklamú. Možnože je to tým, že kniha vznikla ešte počas roku 2020 a teda na reflexiu nebol ešte priestor, lebo stále sme vo víre zmien, ktoré pandémia neprestala prinášať. A možnože je dôvodom zarputilé trvanie autora na axiómach liberálneho globálneho sveta, kde rast a dominancia trhu je jediným meradlom kvality štátov, individuálne práva zas meradlom kvality spoločností.
Vízia to nie je nijak strhujúca, lebo Zakharia v podstate predpovedá, že všetko pôjde po starom. Svet sa bude naďalej zrýchľovať, digitalizácia sveta bude pokračovať a oberať ľudí o prácu, priepasť medzi bohatými a chudobnými sa bude zväčšovať (tu autor vychádza najmä z amerických reálií), ľudia sa napriek pandémiám budú aj naďalej masovo sťahovať do miest, globalizácia sa bude globalizovať a Čína sa stane novým superhráčom. Nedá sa ubrániť myšlienke, že na „lekcie� je to trošku málo a že asi potrebujeme dlhší čas na reflexiu všetkého, čo sa deje okolo nás. Aj opomínanie témy klimatickej zmeny je pozoruhodné a dáva nám informáciu, že zrejme nie pre všetkých je tá téma tak aktuálna, ako pre nás, Európanov, nehovoriac o ľuďoch z ohrozenejších častí sveta.
Len útržkovite, v záveroch jednotlivých kapitol, sa autor priznáva, že zmeny asi budú väčšie, než dokážeme v tejto chvíli predvídať, napríklad spochybnenie trhu ako meradla kvality a úspechu, či viery v rozum, ktorým si často len zdôvodňujeme svoje emócie. Ale aj javy ako „nárast politickej moci starostov�, alebo väčšia jednota štátov EÚ po brexite a skúsenosti so zvládaním pandémie, sú len okrajovo naznačené, zatiaľ nerozvinuté. Na úplnom konci však čitateľ nájde to, čo očakáva - jemný závan optimizmu:
„Pomyslite si len na zmeny, ktoré sme prijali v našich životoch ako odpoveď na pandémiu. Súhlasili sme s tým, že sa izolujeme jeden od druhého na dlhý čas. Pracujeme, zúčastňujeme sa stretnutí, a vedieme hlboko súkromné rozhovory rozprávajúc do našich laptopov. Absolvujeme online kurzy a návštevy u lekárov a terapeutov cez teledoktora. V priebehu mesiaca, firmy zmenili politiky, ktorých prehodnotenie by im za normálnych okolností trvalo roky. Zo dňa na deň mestá zmenili triedy na pešie zóny a chodníky na kaviarne. Menia sa postoje k ľuďom, predtým často prehliadaným či ignorovaným, čo dokazuje novo zaužívaný výraz ´pracovníci kritickej infraštruktúry´. A vlády otvorili svoje pokladnice voľakedy nepredstaviteľným spôsobom, čo nás môže viesť k väčšej vôli investovať do budúcnosti.�
Veľa prezrádza aj jedna z posledných viet: „Rozumieme nedostatkom (sveta) aj spôsobom, ako ich riešiť. Problémom nie je prísť k riešeniam � zostáva ním nájsť politickú vôľu na ich implementáciu.� Tu sa tiež dá s autorom polemizovať. Nie, ešte stále nerozumieme nedostatkom sveta a mnoho riešení, ktoré sa ponúkali, neboli dobré bez ohľadu na politickú vôľu. Práve pandémia nás zrejme dovedie k prehodnoteniu diagnostiky problémov sveta a tiež ponúkaných riešení. Zmeny budú oveľa hlbšie, pán Zahkaria, a preto sa tešíme na vašu ďalšiu knihu.
Vízia to nie je nijak strhujúca, lebo Zakharia v podstate predpovedá, že všetko pôjde po starom. Svet sa bude naďalej zrýchľovať, digitalizácia sveta bude pokračovať a oberať ľudí o prácu, priepasť medzi bohatými a chudobnými sa bude zväčšovať (tu autor vychádza najmä z amerických reálií), ľudia sa napriek pandémiám budú aj naďalej masovo sťahovať do miest, globalizácia sa bude globalizovať a Čína sa stane novým superhráčom. Nedá sa ubrániť myšlienke, že na „lekcie� je to trošku málo a že asi potrebujeme dlhší čas na reflexiu všetkého, čo sa deje okolo nás. Aj opomínanie témy klimatickej zmeny je pozoruhodné a dáva nám informáciu, že zrejme nie pre všetkých je tá téma tak aktuálna, ako pre nás, Európanov, nehovoriac o ľuďoch z ohrozenejších častí sveta.
Len útržkovite, v záveroch jednotlivých kapitol, sa autor priznáva, že zmeny asi budú väčšie, než dokážeme v tejto chvíli predvídať, napríklad spochybnenie trhu ako meradla kvality a úspechu, či viery v rozum, ktorým si často len zdôvodňujeme svoje emócie. Ale aj javy ako „nárast politickej moci starostov�, alebo väčšia jednota štátov EÚ po brexite a skúsenosti so zvládaním pandémie, sú len okrajovo naznačené, zatiaľ nerozvinuté. Na úplnom konci však čitateľ nájde to, čo očakáva - jemný závan optimizmu:
„Pomyslite si len na zmeny, ktoré sme prijali v našich životoch ako odpoveď na pandémiu. Súhlasili sme s tým, že sa izolujeme jeden od druhého na dlhý čas. Pracujeme, zúčastňujeme sa stretnutí, a vedieme hlboko súkromné rozhovory rozprávajúc do našich laptopov. Absolvujeme online kurzy a návštevy u lekárov a terapeutov cez teledoktora. V priebehu mesiaca, firmy zmenili politiky, ktorých prehodnotenie by im za normálnych okolností trvalo roky. Zo dňa na deň mestá zmenili triedy na pešie zóny a chodníky na kaviarne. Menia sa postoje k ľuďom, predtým často prehliadaným či ignorovaným, čo dokazuje novo zaužívaný výraz ´pracovníci kritickej infraštruktúry´. A vlády otvorili svoje pokladnice voľakedy nepredstaviteľným spôsobom, čo nás môže viesť k väčšej vôli investovať do budúcnosti.�
Veľa prezrádza aj jedna z posledných viet: „Rozumieme nedostatkom (sveta) aj spôsobom, ako ich riešiť. Problémom nie je prísť k riešeniam � zostáva ním nájsť politickú vôľu na ich implementáciu.� Tu sa tiež dá s autorom polemizovať. Nie, ešte stále nerozumieme nedostatkom sveta a mnoho riešení, ktoré sa ponúkali, neboli dobré bez ohľadu na politickú vôľu. Práve pandémia nás zrejme dovedie k prehodnoteniu diagnostiky problémov sveta a tiež ponúkaných riešení. Zmeny budú oveľa hlbšie, pán Zahkaria, a preto sa tešíme na vašu ďalšiu knihu.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 749 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.