Nay Zin Lat - Too American

This is not a book about the fall of America. It is a book about the rise of other countries. We often talk about the great changes taking place around the world. But we still have a very limited understanding of this. It is natural. “Changes” are happening everywhere. Even the oceans are changing regularly. When we talk about the modern era, the world is a familiar topic, but it is changing differently from other changes.

Over the past 500 years, there have been three major shifts in the world's major powers. The combined wealth of nations, which have fundamentally changed the way international life is shaped, has led to major changes in the political, economic, and cultural spheres of the world.

The first change was the rise of the Western world. It began in the 15th century and gained momentum in the 18th century. It included what we know as “modern progress”: science and technology, “trade and capitalism,” “agriculture and the industrial revolutions.” It was from this that the long-term political dominance of the West was born.

The second movement began towards the end of the 19th century and was the ‘rise’ of the United States. The United States, which had established itself as an industrial nation through the Industrial Revolution, became the most powerful country in the world after the Roman Empire. It was also more powerful than any other country combined. (The Soviet Union was a large country made up of many countries. - Author) For almost the entire past century, the United States has dominated the world economy, politics, science, and culture. It has been unrivaled. It has become a world power with a tradition that has never been seen before in modern history.

In the modern era, we are now living with the third world movement. This movement can be called the “rise of the rest.” A few decades ago, countries around the world were struggling with the concept of “economic growth.” Once upon a time, this was unthinkable. When an economy “explodes,” everything moves in two directions. This kind of growth is most evident in Asia, and it no longer has any boundaries. This movement is called the “Asian boom,” but that is not a precise definition.

Between 2000 and 2007, 124 countries grew at rates of 4% or more. Thirty of these countries were in Africa, accounting for two-thirds of the continent. Antoine van Agtmael, a fund manager who coined the term “emerging markets,” selected the 25 most promising global companies. His list included four each from Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei, three from India, two from China, and one each from Argentina, Chile, Malaysia, and South Africa.

Just think for a week. The world's tallest skyscraper is currently in Taipei. The skyscraper under construction in Dubai will soon become the world's tallest. The richest man in the world is a Mexican. His public and commercial corporation is a Chinese company. The world's largest airplane is being built in Russia and Ukraine, and the world's largest oil refinery is being built in India. Most of the world's largest factories are also located in China.

By various measures, London is the world's leading financial center. The once-dominant US record has now spread to other countries.

The world's largest roller coaster is now in Singapore, and the world's largest casino, formerly in Las Vegas, has been replaced by Macau. The record-breaking casino revenue is also not as high as Macau. If we look at the film industry, the United States is no longer number one in terms of the number of films and ticket sales. Recently, the rapidly growing Indian film industry, Bollywood, has become number one. It has been about two years since Hollywood handed over its position to Bollywood.

When it comes to shopping, the United States has only one of the ten largest malls in the world. The world's largest shopping mall is not in the United States, but in Beijing, China. These statistics are just a general list, and the United States holds the world record in other areas as well.

Many have been given up. This has been happening slowly and steadily for the past 10 years.

Hundreds of millions of people are living in extreme poverty, and their prospects are not good. Some live on less than a dollar a day. The proportion of these people has increased from 40% in 1981 to 18% in 2004. It is estimated that this will decrease to 12% by 2015. This is a testament to China's continued progress.

China's economic growth has lifted 400 million people out of poverty. Poverty has been reduced and there is still room for improvement. The world's poorest people live in 50 countries, and they urgently need the world's attention. 142 countries, including China, India, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey, Kenya, and South Africa, have gradually reduced poverty, achieved steady economic growth, and increased productivity. This is the world's first real development. These countries have established an international system, and they are no longer observers or bystanders, but active participants in world affairs. A truly global scene has been born.

The interconnected nature of the modern era has become intertwined in the transition from America to the rest.

The “others” include non-state actors. They include organizations and individuals. Many roles that were once the preserve of governments are now shared with international organizations. Organizations like the WTO (World Trade Organization), the EU (European Union). Non-governmental organizations are emerging every day, and they are becoming more and more common in every country. Large corporations and capital move from one place to another over time. They naturally flow to places where business is good. Some governments welcome them.

Terrorists like Al Queda, drug lords, militants, etc. are also trying to gain access to the free spaces of the international system. Power, a force, is moving away from nation states, up, down, and sideways. In such a situation, traditional national power, power, is reduced to a minimum level of effectiveness. Including economic and military.

The emerging international system is completely different from the one that existed before. For more than 100 years, the world was driven by a multi-axis system formed by European governments. Gradually, it shifted from alliance to rivalry, from miscalculation to war. This multi-axis system led to the Cold War era of the last two axes or superpowers. (NATO, led by the United States, and the Warsaw Pact, led by the Soviet Union - Author) In many ways, the world enjoyed a measure of stability. However, the two superpowers were constantly monitoring and reacting to each other’s every move.

Since 1991, we have lived within the confines of the American empire, and the entire world has been driven by a single axis. Since then, the world economy has become more open and has gained tremendous momentum. This expansion and expansion has become a driving force in the international arena.

At the political and military level, we remain in a “superpower” world. However, in other areas – industrial, financial, educational, social, cultural – power is shifting. It is moving away from American influence. This does not mean moving towards anti-Americanism. However, the direction of that movement is towards a “post-American” world. The term “post-American” can be interpreted in many different ways by many different people.