Lesson 9 - The World Is Becoming Bipolar

Although the connectedness of many countries allowed the pandemic to spread, it also brought advantages. The connectivity and ability to problem-solve at a global level had a huge impact. Our ability to distribute test kits, share medical knowledge, and develop solutions together saved countless ...

Zakaria accepts that markets with appropriate regulations ensure a relatively level playing field. However, the market performing well does not mean society is performing well. Currently, science, technology, and education in America lack crucial funding. Therefore, Zakaria suggests America needs...

We can see this same bipolarity across large parts of the world in various contexts. For example, the political divide between the right and the left is becoming starker in America and parts of Europe. Zakaria believes this bipolarity is inevitable. However, we can decide whether these difference...

America should continue to accept the importance of markets and understand that some fields need more support. This does not mean we should adopt a carbon copy of Denmark’s economic policies. Instead, America needs to adopt some of these foundations and apply them to America’s reality.

Despite this, Zakaria doesn’t believe we are at a stage where we mistake our technology for our friends. Instead, technology has the potential to make us value our human companions even more. The pandemic has highlighted that humans are more than problem solvers. Humans are brave, loyal, generous...

However, Zakaria highlights that hard-edged realpolitik is still lurking. With the rise of China and growing tensions with America, a conflict could be around the corner. Therefore, although globalization has offered fantastic opportunities, it has the potential to create conflict based on econom...

Technology has advanced considerably over the last few decades, but instead of stopping and thinking about how to keep ourselves safe, we have continued to expand. Zakaria describes this as humans having built the fastest sports car ever imaginable. However, we are driving it into the unknown wit...

The pandemic and recent American elections have highlighted that people are starting to trust experts less. Part of the problem is that experts have become an elite group who develop power and authority based on their knowledge. Certain countries have pushed back against this elitism, including A...

Despite these crashes, we still haven’t stopped to consider the safety precautions we need. Instead, we pull the vehicle over, tune up the suspension, and fix the engine. We continue to make our cars faster and faster, and yet we put ourselves in more profound danger. Zakaria believes the pandemi...

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequality within our society, and it has decreased it in some areas. The most obvious way inequality has narrowed is between the healthy and the ill. Many people who were used to being healthy all the time have crossed the divide and experienced severe illne...

However, pandemics generally make other inequalities more significant. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and reinforced the disparity between the rich & poor. Many who could not afford to stop working have been unable to isolate themselves, even if they are considered at-risk. Th...

Aristotle described humans as social animals. As humans, we built cities to socialize and help each other. Whether economic, social, or political, almost every significant movement in history began in cities. This was where the individuals responsible could organize and gather to become a force f...

America believed it was too powerful to collapse financially and politically, but the pandemic has proven us all wrong. Many people have started to associate COVID-19 with political polarization and economic dysfunction. Businesses are in turmoil and there are major debates on both sides about th...

The pandemic pushed us closer to our technology. It has encouraged people to consider the possibility of us becoming completely dependent on computers and artificial intelligence. However, Zakaria argues that we are already practically at this point. A phone in our pocket has greater access to in...

The new age of technology has connected all the world and created mass globalization. We are more interconnected than ever before, and our economies heavily depend on other economies. Although many countries talk of deglobalization and improved self-sufficiency, there are many areas where this is...

America is becoming more inward-looking and obsessed with being patriotic. It is missing the opportunity to influence world politics and stand at the forefront of innovation. Most of the world has regarded America as a beacon of knowledge for many years, but America now needs to learn from the re...

The lockdown has brought out many people’s tendencies to participate in more significant things than themselves. It has pulled together communities and inspired socialization and cooperation among neighbors. We have seen enormous acts of generosity, kindness, and empathy. We need this connectivit...

The movement worldwide toward liberalism has improved more people’s lives than any previous system. Zakaria believes the success of liberalism is not due to the expectation that the world will one day be perfect. Instead, liberalism is underpinned by idealism. Liberalism is simple and practical. ...