Book Review: 😷 10 Lessons for a post-pandemic world by Fareed Zakaria

Well-written and organized, but not a lot of predictions or insights (in my opinion). This might be a great book if you have not been reading the news for the last couple of years and needed to know what are the big trends that will shape the future in the post-covid world. It is more of a state of the state discussion of where various issues stand and why they will be important in the coming years. Good analysis, but I had expected more insights about the future from Zakaria.

Perhaps the most interesting/clear point that the author makes is that America’s withdraw from the global stage during the Trump era has changed the landscape and other players have stepped up to fill the void. American’s hegemony in setting the global agenda is over. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a compelling alternative for many struggling nations.

“At this point, the restoration of an American-dominated international order is not possible. Too many new powers are rising, too many new forces have been unleashed that cannot be tamed, even if the American presidents were a dedicated multilateralist.”

Amazon Link: 10 Lessons for a post-pandemic world

J. Scott Christianson is a technologist and an Associate Teaching Professor of management at the Trulaske College of Business, where his interests are focused on the impact of technology on society. You can connect with him on his website, LinkedIn, Twitter, or by following his newsletter, The Free-Range Technologist.