Originally published in 2008, Fareed Zakaria’s The Post-American World stands as a prescient analysis of the evolving global order. While the book does not predict the collapse of the United States as a global power, it does forecast the relative decline of American primacy due to “the rise of the rest.”
Zakaria’s central thesis—that global power is diffusing away from the U.S. towards emerging powers like China, India, and Brazil—has only become more salient in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency (2017–2021), which accelerated certain patterns Zakaria identified: protectionism, retreat from multilateralism, and a weakening of the international institutions long anchored by the United States.
The Rise of the Rest
Zakaria opens with a disarmingly clear claim: “This is a book not about the decline of America but rather about the rise of everyone else.” He situates the U.S. not in a free fall but in a relative shift of influence, as others rise economically, politically, and diplomatically. Zakaria identifies China and India as the most important rising powers, representing a broader phenomenon: the diffusion of power from the West to the global South and East.
This transformation, according to Zakaria, is driven largely by globalization, technological diffusion, and demographic momentum. He writes:
“Globalization has leveled the playing field, and the rest of the world is now playing catch-up at an extraordinary pace.” Yet, while these changes have enabled emerging economies to rise, Zakaria cautions against overestimating their cohesion or readiness to replace American leadership. Instead, he imagines a “post-American” order as a multipolar world, not a Chinese century.
Trump as a Catalyst for Zakaria’s Thesis
The Trump presidency unintentionally vindicated many of Zakaria’s warnings. Trump’s America First policies—marked by hostility toward international institutions, the withdrawal from global agreements, like the Paris Climate Accord and the Iran Nuclear Deal, and trade wars with both allies and rivals—accelerated the decline of America’s global leadership.
“The greatest danger is not the rise of other powers, but the rise of isolationism and arrogance within the United States”, Zakaria warned in 2008.
Trump’s withdrawal from multilateralism exemplified that danger. His administration undermined long-standing alliances like NATO, criticized the WTO and UN, and imposed unilateral tariffs that disrupted global supply chains and emboldened economic nationalism elsewhere. This behaviour hastened what Zakaria described as “de-Americanization”—a process by which other powers hedge against U.S. volatility by building alternative institutions and partnerships.
American Overconfidence and Institutional Decay
Zakaria acknowledges enduring American advantages—such as its universities, innovation capacity, and military power. However, he critiques its domestic political dysfunction:
“America has become a power unto itself—militarily dominant, culturally pervasive, and economically unrivaled—but politically gridlocked and intellectually complacent.”
Trump’s rise further exemplified these internal fractures. The hollowing out of the State Department, the erosion of civil norms, and the populist rejection of expertise echoed Zakaria’s concerns.
The Rise of China and India
Zakaria devotes considerable attention to China’s peaceful rise and India’s democratic consolidation. He views China as “a masterclass in authoritarian modernization,” while recognizing its demographic and social challenges. India, meanwhile, is portrayed as a slower-moving but ultimately more sustainable model, due to its democratic foundations.
In a world where U.S. leadership is less predictable, these rising powers find more space to act. Zakaria notes:
“The world has shifted from anti-Americanism to post-Americanism.”
In the Trump era, global polls showed a sharp decline in trust toward American leadership, while China capitalized on gaps in international development and infrastructure, such as through the Belt and Road Initiative. This sharp decline in trust toward American leadership has only accelerated during Trump’s second term. The multipolar world Zakaria foresaw emerged faster than expected, catalysed not just by economic convergence but by America’s own retreat.
Framework Has Aged Well
Zakaria’s narrative is remarkably even-handed, avoiding the alarmism that characterizes many foreign policy books. His analysis is grounded in historical parallels—comparing America’s trajectory to Britain’s slow imperial decline—and tempered by realism. However, critics have argued that Zakaria underestimates the resilience of American power and the internal contradictions within rising powers. Nonetheless, his conceptual framework has aged well. Especially in the Trump and post-Trump eras, The Post-American World reads less like a projection and more like a diagnosis of the current state of international affairs. His emphasis on relative power decline and institutional disengagement offers a useful lens through which to understand today’s geopolitical fragmentation.
EU’s Lack of Unified Strategic Ambition
The EU is treated as an important but politically limited power in The Post-American World. Zakaria respects its economic achievements but suggests its global influence is constrained by internal divisions and a lack of unified strategic ambition. The author often refers to Europe collectivelyas an economic bloc, especially in comparisons with the U.S. and China. Zakaria sees the EU more as a soft poweractor than a rising geopolitical force like China.
He also points out the EU’s challenges in political cohesion and strategic ambition. In a CNN segment, Zakaria remarked that Europe has been unable to keep pace with America’s dynamism, emphasizing the need for a grand strategy.
Power Continues to Decentralize
The Post-American World remains a foundational text for understanding the shifting global order. Zakaria foresaw the erosion of American dominance not through conquest but through diffusion—a rise in other powers, and a loss of strategic coherence in the U.S. itself. The first Trump presidency did not create the post-American world, but it brought it into sharper focus.
As global power keeps splintering—accelerated, no doubt, by the chaos of Trump’s second term—Zakaria’s book is still essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of a world that no longer revolves around one top dog.
