Taqrir Washington
In The Pentagon's New Map, Thomas Barnett, a senior military analyst at the U.S. Naval War College, documents the strategic effects of a failing U.S. policy regarding Iraq and the War on Terrorism. Reviewing U.S. military history, Barnett ultimately concludes that global stability depends on U.S. leadership and its ability to place other nations under the force of globalization. Also, he draws an interesting map of the current global situation, which serves as a backdrop for the future of U.S. policy.
According to Barnett, the globe is divided into two major parts based on political, cultural, and economic identities. These are a “Functioning Core” and a “Non-Integrating Gap”. The “core” represents the two thirds of the world that consists of politically stable nations, including those of Western and Central Europe, North America, Japan, China, India, Russia, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil. The other one third, or the “gap,” represents Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East, and most of Central and South America. Barnett labels these countries as the source of future terrorist threats because of their instability and inability to join the “core”. As a response to this, he urges the U.S. to use its power and strength to “export security and stability” and to reorganize the structure of its armed forces into two branches: one used for rapid “shock and awe” attacks and the other responsible for rebuilding the infrastructure of post-war countries. Praising the U.S. hand in ending the Cold War Era, he proclaims that the U.S. has now begun to establish the New World Order thanks to the anti-terrorism Patriot Act of 2001 and the National Security Strategy of 2002 and its stance on preemptive strikes.
Recalling that the U.S. has traditionally worked to match the military strength of the other Great Powers while ignoring terrorism, he suggests that the U.S. concentrate on remedying this mistake. Also, he tries to calm the fears of those who foresee an American “Empire” on the horizon or a loss of security on the home front. He asks that the American government provide the public with the correct information about its goals in response to these concerns. In conclusion, he stresses the importance of informing the U.S. public about what is at stake regarding U.S. foreign policy, especially in Iraq, which he proposes will end in either a great awakening of “true life” in the Middle East or become the U.S.’s equivalent to Israel’s West Bank.
The European Dream:
How Europe’s Vision of the Future is Quietly Eclipsing
the American Dream
Jeremy RifkinPublisher: Tarcher/Penguin (2004) Pages: 434
Taqrir Washington
Extending an offer of congratulations to the newly formed European Union, Jeremy Rifkin sets out in his book The European Dream to describe the world’s decreasing interest in pursuing the lifestyle of the typical overworked and underpaid American citizen. Describing a loss of faith in the American Dream, Rifkin criticizes the United States’ inability to reconcile the capitalist drive for profits with the principles of a democratic system of government. While the European Dream gains status, its American counterpart slowly fades away into a background of stress, longer work hours, and unsatisfactory medical coverage. Compared to the rest of the developed world, Rifkin complains that American citizens no longer enjoy their technological and scientific progress, now “living to work” instead of “working to live”.
The European Dream concludes that the twenty-first century belongs to Europe, boasting of its accomplishments in establishing the European Union and bolstering its collective economic and political strength. On the cultural side, Rifkin praises Europeans for focusing on preserving a high quality of life, whereas Americans race to increase their material wealth. Ultimately, he adds that this attitude will produce positive results for the future of Europe on the global stage, one unencumbered by negative experiences abroad and strengthened by an adoption of complete secularism in government. In this book, Rifkin’s message resounds: “Step aside, America. Here comes The European Dream.”
About the Author:
Jeremy Rifkin, the president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and author of over fifteen books translated into more than 20 languages, holds a degree in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He serves as an advisor for a number of government officials and has lectured in 500 universities in some 20 countries in the past 30 years. In addition to The European Dream, his works include The End of Work (1995), The Biotech Century (1998), and The Age of Access (2000). 
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