Parag Khanna: All Publications, Events and Press

Why the US, Europe and China Need a 'G-3'

Articles — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:12:00 -0400

These days it is not fashionable to speak of empires, which are considered to be aggressive, mercantilist relics supposedly consigned to the dustbin of history with post-World War II decolonization and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many then predicted that ethnic self-determination would drag the world into a new era of political fragmentation as the number of countries proliferated from fewer than 50 at the end of World War II to, potentially, hundreds in the 21st century, with every minority getting its own state, currency, and seat in the United Nations.

But for thousands of years empires have been the world's most powerful political entities, fulfilling people's… more

Dear President X: Think Big!

Communications — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/03/2008 - 12:00pm

Sometimes it seems that the magnitude of the problems that face us overwhelm the wit and wisdom of our government. Interest groups, groupthink, and bureaucracy all block the path of good ideas. Push a policy for a year, the thinking goes, and maybe it will move an inch.

But there’s a way around that: really big ideas that cut through, around, and over the conventional wisdom. This panel, comprised of the men and women profiled in WIRED magazine’s special November “Smart List,” all have crisp proposals and action plans for doing just that. How to deal with extreme weather? The urban population explosion? America’s declining world power? Culture clashes between the U.S. military and Iraqis? Come learn how the next president can solve these seemingly intractable problems.

The Indian Diaspora

Articles — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:27:00 -0400

In case you're wondering who the beautiful new woman on CNN who knows so much about gastrointestinal viruses is, her name is Roshini Rajapaksa. It's difficult to pronounce but, like that of her ubiquitous colleague Sanjay Gupta, unmistakably of the Indian subcontinent. From Silicon Valley to Citigroup, the new face of success is increasingly of a rich caramel-brown color. Vikram Pandit has led the charge to rescue banking behemoth Citi, and Bobby Jindal, the whiz-kid Indian-American governor of Louisiana, could find himself with a new job in a McCain administration . In Washington lobbying circles, Indians are sometimes referred to--not least boastfully by themselves--as the "new Jews." Today the three million… more

Parag Khanna in the Toronto Star | 'American Influence Dwindles on World Stage'

Articles — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:02:00 -0400

New America in the News:
"What bothers me is that nobody can define any priorities or set any themes," said Parag Khanna, author of The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order. "We are really living in the new Middle Ages, where you have terrorist movements and mercenaries, international corporations and crusaders, and city states. That's the real 21st century landscape." LINK

Parag Khanna in Wired Magazine | 'Parag Khanna: Embrace the Post-American Age'

Articles — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:36:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Here's one view of America circa 2008: The US is a modern-day Roman Empire -- overstretched, underperforming, slowly crumbling into history's dustbin. Here's Parag Khanna's view: Nonsense. The geopolitical wooziness Americans are feeling isn't decline. It's realignment.

In his book The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order, Khanna, 31, describes a planet dominated by a trio of superpowers: the US, China, and Europe. In this tripolar era, America's fate depends on tough national choices, not lame historical analogies. If the US wises up -- by tightening trade and energy ties to the rest of the hemisphere, pursuing economic innovation at home, and establishing a "diplomatic-industrial complex" -- it can grow stronger even as the globe becomes less red, white, and blue.

Khanna himself is a peripatetic emblem of this post-American world. Born in India, he lived as a child in the United Arab Emirates, and attended high school in the US and Germany. He earned two degrees from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Then he punched his ticket at places that might earn him early admission at the Trilateral Commission: the Council on Foreign Relations, the Brookings Institution, and the World Economic Forum. "I think I'm the only person who went to Davos seven times by the age of 30," the smooth-talking wunderwonk says. "I'm not sure that's a good thing."

From Canada to Uzbekistan, Khanna identifies the unexpected flash points, overstated threats, and hidden opportunities the next US president might confront. LINK

Parag Khanna in The Times of India | 'Desi 'Firangs' in High Places'

Communications — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 07:25:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Parag Khanna, director, Global Governance Initiative at New America Foundation, says, "Ethnic Indian intellectual leaders have given a positive interpretation to developments in India. So, it has been mutually beneficial." LINK

These Are the New Middle Ages, Not a New Order

Articles — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:29:00 -0400

We are entering -- for those keeping track -- the new new, new new world order. President George Bush Snr's world order of multilateral cooperation was embarrassed by Somalia, Rwanda and Bosnia. Pax Americana, rebranded as globalisation under Bill Clinton, was shattered by 9/11. For the past seven years we've been living under the "war on terror" world order paradigm, creating more cleavages than it has healed.

But this time the conditions are very different. The world has stopped waiting for the US - and its next president -- to declare its roadmap for the future. Instead, the other 96% of the planet has decided to move on… more

CA Event: The Next World - How Should the United States Respond to Rising Powers?

Communications — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/05/2008 - 8:00am

The rise of other global powers is a profound new reality of today’s world. As headlines remind us nearly everyday, China, India, Russia, as well as the European Union, Japan, and others are rapidly gaining strength and influence. How should the U.S. navigate this new world landscape? Does the rise of these powers represent an ideological challenge or an economic boom? Will global warming convince us we are all in the same boat? The Next World conference will explore these questions and others, focusing on key foreign policy priorities for the next administration.

Steve Coll, President and CEO of the New America Foundation and John Podesta, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress opened the conference with an intimate conversation, and later joined the discussion with the best and brightest minds of a new generation of foreign policy thinkers who will help shape America’s evolving role in the world.

Three panel discussions explored whether or not the U.S. is in decline, and if it matters, and how the rise of other powers impact American influence, prosperity, and security. They also debated whether there is a global battle over ideology and strategic priorities for the U.S. in this new world.

Over lunch, Terry Tamminen, Cullman Senior Fellow for Climate Change and Director of the Climate Policy Program at the New America Foundation, gave an address on how the United States can develop a coherent climate change strategy, with an emphasis on how meaningful formal and informal agreements to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases can be negotiated with rising powers.

This conference was co-sponsored by the Center for American Progress, the New America Foundation, and The Stanley Foundation.

The Globalization of Steak

Articles — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:05:00 -0400

As food and grain prices rise around the world, causing hunger and political unrest from Egypt to Indonesia, I still find myself nearly every weekend walking around the corner for brunch to Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan, where the steak frites is $17.50. Steak has been stable not just in its price, but also its gastric and emotional effect: Afterward I am both full and full of myself.

It first struck me in Shanghai at the tail end of two years of traveling the world on a lean budget to research a book. Deng Xiaoping was only partially right: To get rich is glorious, but to flaunt… more

Parag Khanna in The San Diego Union Tribune | 'Foreign Oil Producers Have U.S. Over Barrel '

Communications — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:36:00 -0400

New America in the News:
“The oil centers in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain have been investing in economic growth in places without much oil, such as Egypt, Morocco and Jordan,” said Parag Khanna, director of the Global Governance Initiative at the New America Foundation. LINK

Parag Khanna on CNN | 'The Situation Room: U.S. Fears for Pakistan's Future'

Communications — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:34:00 -0400

New America in the News:
PARAG KHANNA, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: And some of the militant elements in the tribal areas have also become quite strong in the interim.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Publicly, the U.S. says the impeachment is an internal Pakistani matter but sent a veiled warning to its close ally, Musharraf, not to take action that could be destabilizing to Pakistan.

GONZALO GALLEGOS, DEPUTY STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Our expectation is that any action will be consistent with the rule of law and the Pakistani constitution.

VERJEE: Musharraf could use his powers as president to dissolve parliament, fire the prime minister and call new elections. Musharraf has promised in the past not to repeat his actions of last November, when he imposed a state of emergency. It's unclear whether he would go quietly. So far, Musharraf has resisted pressure to resign, even as his unpopularity grows.

The critical question -- whether the Pakistani military will allow the government to humiliate and oust Musharraf, their former chief.

KHANNA: They might actually intervene in order to prevent the crisis from getting worse and simply force the civilian government to contend or to be comfortable or simply allow Musharraf to stay in power in exchange for the parliament not being dissolved. LINK to full transcript

Parag Khanna on the Kojo Nnamdi Show | 'The Collapse WTO Negotiations'

Communications — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:17:00 -0400

New America in the News:

(WAMU)--It was supposed to promote "pro-development" priorities at the World Trade Organization. But the so-called "Doha Round" of talks collapsed this week, as negotiators were unable to bridge bitter divides between developed and developing countries. We find out what happened, and what it means for workers and farmers in America and the developing world. LINK to Audio

Guest: Parag Khanna, Director, Global Governance Initiative in American Strategy Program, New America Foundation; author, "The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order" (Random House)

Parag Khanna on the Kojo Nnamdi Show | 'U.S. - Indian Relations'

Communications — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:43:00 -0400

New America in the News:

A landmark nuclear cooperation deal between India and the United States is on the rocks, threatened by deep divisions within India's governing coalition. As leaders from both countries meet at the annual Group of Eight summit, we explore their evolving relationship and the role of the Indian-American diaspora in foreign affairs. LINK to Audio

Guests:

Sanjay Puri, Chairman, U.S. Indian Political Action Committee (USINPAC)

Parag Khanna, Director, Global Governance Initiative in American Strategy Program, New America Foundation; author, The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order (Random House)

Parag Khanna in Khaleej Times | 'UAE a Rare Success Story'

Communications — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:11:00 -0400

New America in the News:

American author and international relations analyst Parag Khanna yesterday called the UAE a "rare success story", attributing it to its geographical location, globalisation and blend of foreign legacies with indigenous power structures.

Speaking on the role of the emirates in the geopolitical market place, Khanna, Fellow and Director of Global Governance Initiative at the New America Foundation, a non-partisan, public policy institute in Washington DC, termed the UAE "a meeting point for first world European technology and third world labour".

"The UAE has a culture of Eurasia. It is a story of foreign legacies blended with indigenous power structures in a post-colonial world. It is also a success story of globalisation, which is rare in post-colonial countries," said Khanna, who was a geopolitical advisor to the United States Special Operations Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007... LINK

Parag Khanna in XPress | 'UAE more influential'

Communications — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:16:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Flooded with oil money and foreign investments, the UAE is influencing international developments like never before, said a visiting US scholar on Sunday.

From putting boots on the ground in war-torn Afghanistan – for reconstruction efforts – to bailing out giant companies from the recent property crash in America, the Emirates is now a ‘player’ in world affairs, Parag Khanna, the director of the Global Governance Initiative, told reporters at the Dubai Press Club... LINK

The New Colonialists

Ron Tang — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:32:00 -0400

Even on their best days, the world’s failed states are difficult to mistake for anything but tragic examples of countries gone wrong. A few routinely make the headlines -- Somalia, Iraq, Congo. But alongside their brand of extreme state dysfunction exists an entirely separate, easily missed class of states teetering on the edge. In dozens of countries, corrupt or feeble governments are proving themselves dangerously incapable of carrying out the most basic responsibilities of statehood. These countries -- nations such as Botswana, Cambodia, Georgia, and Kenya -- might appear to be recovering, even thriving, developing countries, but like their failed-state… more

Parag Khanna in Turkish Daily News | 'Redifining Turkey's Strategic Orientation'

Communications — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:39:00 -0400

New America in the News:

...The implications from denying Turkey an avenue to the European Union are not limited to damaging Turkey, however, but also diminish Europe itself. As Parag Khanna affirmed, “Europe increasingly needs Turkey,” which he defines as representing a “geopolitical asset (that) Europe cannot do without...” LINK

Parag Khanna in Macleans | 'Interview: Parag Khanna'

Communications — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:45:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Parag Khanna, a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation and director of the Global Governance Initiative, recently published The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order.

[Andrew Coyne, MacLeans]: Maybe we should start with the laying of blame. In 1949 the question was “who lost China?” One question that might be provoked by your book is: Who lost the world? Was it the “imperial overstretch” of the Bush administration? Was it the decade of drift under Bill Clinton? Or was it inevitable that America would lose its position of dominance, no matter what anyone did?

[Parag Khanna]: It was inevitable. Globalization did it, not Bush. What globalization does is resist centralization. You can no longer have central authority over anything, and that applies to America’s hegemonic position in the world as well. Power, technology, money, modernity spread everywhere—just about everywhere—which means countries have the resources now to do whatever they want. America is kind of waking up to that new world where it isn’t the only power. Globalization sets the rules, not America...LINK

Europe's Century

Ron Tang — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:25:00 -0400

This past week saw not only the Irish rejection of the Lisbon treaty, forcing a crisis summit this week to chart an alternative path to EU continuity, but also the annual EU-American summit in Slovenia, aiming to forge a common transatlantic agenda on Middle East peace, climate change and trade. The Irish vote is likely to fuel rumours of the EU's demise, yet it is the latter summit that will prove more revealing about its future. While mending transatlantic divides is commendable, the summit presents an opportunity to rectify misperceptions about the US leading and Europe following on global issues.… more

Parag Khanna and Fareed Zakaria in Wired | 'The Post-National, Post-American World as a League of Regions'

Communications — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:51:00 -0400

New America in the News:

...Two new books – The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria and The Second World by Parag Khanna – argue that the new global economy power will be more dispersed and multipolar.

"Mr. Zakaria believes we are experiencing modern history's third great power shift, after the rise of the West from the 15th century on, and the rise of the U.S. in the 19th century. But he argues that this latest transition is not so much about the decline of America as it is about “the rise of the rest,” and by that he means much more than simply China or India. The end result will be a “landscape that is quite different from the one we have lived in until now – one defined and directed from many places and by many peoples.” Mr. Khanna similarly predicts that we are headed toward a “global, multi-civilizational, multipolar” world with three superpowers: the U.S., China and the European Union.

"Each of the Big Three powers will assert its influence differently, but the intense demand for energy and resources means that the underlying goal will be the same. And the main battlefield for this geopolitical competition, Mr. Khanna argues, is the “second world” – about 40 strategically important “transition” states whose relationships with the superpowers have the capacity to tip the balance...LINK