This Brave New World. History Book Report Assignment

This Brave New World
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This Brave New World
This Brave New World is a compilation of the relationship between the United States and Asia’s rising giants; China and India. This book talks more about trade relationships besides other major issues that bring the three countries together. However, there are several instances of bilateral disagreements that have been highlighted in the book. Most people were against the visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping. Lots of people were against it. There are presidential candidates that wanted the visit to be canceled. Manuel 2016 talks about critical insights into the global economy today. Most of the products consumed by US citizens have traces of foreign origin, some of which are subject to outsourcing. If we consider Donald Trump’s situation as an example, we find that most of his success would be built on global trade policies.
In the beginning, Trump’s candidacy was not as strong as it turned out to be. It is common to find someone in the United States wearing products that are made in different countries especially in Asia. For instance, someone wearing an Oxford cotton shirt made in India, underwear produced in Canada, tweedy sports jacket made in Honduras, a necktie produced in China and suede wingtips produced in Brazil would hardly notice the different origins. More often than not, I would find myself in the same position as described by the incidences in the book by Anja Manuel. At one point I had a wristwatch of a Japanese quartz movement and a Chinese case with an alligator strap. The strap was definitely non-American and non-reptilian. However, the various origins I noticed at the time of purchase bore the brand names of familiar American companies that probably outsourced cheap production overseas. I use a nice Sheaffer fountain pen produced in Lowa which is a joint outcome of outsourcing to Thailand and Slovak Republic. Following this, This Brave New World is a book that describes the already existing relations, the state of the relations and possible benefits that would be drawn if the relations between the three nations were made stronger.
The new world economic order proposed by Anja Manuel has both potential benefits and hazards in the global free-trade. The author insists that American blue-collar jobs have been moved to cheaper markets, especially in India and China. However, the book describes China as an economy made of punitive tariffs that are slightly above other cheaper countries. For this reason, there have been suggestions to transform the United States workforce. We find there is significant blue-collar joblessness. However, Manuel identifies both China and India in terms of population growth, the effect of the population on the environment and their contribution towards global governance. The book identifies India as one that will become the most populated country in the world. Furthermore, this is a situation that leaves industries and technologies at risk of shutting down. Manuel suggests a long-term solution to the blue-collar joblessness; a major overhaul of the American education system at both primary and secondary levels. The suggestion by Manuel aims at equipping graduates with the required skills and knowledge applicable to blue-collar jobs. When the change happens, American industries and technologies will continue to rise (Manuel, 2016).
The middle-class in the US are able to purchase most goods produced overseas. The trade relations with China and India have made it possible for the existence of lower product prices. Many products from the US are exported overseas to the mentioned countries. Because of the high population in the two countries, the exports are made in high volumes. Basically, many jobs are supported by exports to countries such as China. For example, the American aviation company Boeing sells commercial planes to both India and China. On the other hand, Chinese investment has created about 80,000 jobs in the United States. The new economic world has its roots across the three countries. Therefore, the growth and development of one economy are dependent on the performance of the other. China has a higher population compared to that of the United States. The rise of China as a veto power is largely dependent on population growth. Manuel identifies this as the major boost of the two countries, China and India.
The two countries, China and India have the largest number of population. Additionally, they are expected to be among the largest economies in a decade. This is an assumption by Manuel that does not consider the possibility of internal political convulsions, seismic disruptions of the global economy and other variables that have proven to be wrong in the past when it comes to predictions. Apart from the mentioned variables, Anja Manuel is more concerned about the economic and strategic shift that occurred to Russia as a country. Russia is considered more aggressive when it comes to the military as compared to its economic stance. Russia’s economy is feeble just like most countries in Europe. European countries are sinking into a bog of unnecessary entitlements that reduces the size of the workforce.
Manuel compares the state of Europe to that of America; she sees the country as more productive and competitive than Europe. Additionally, America is better positioned, diplomatically, geographically, and economically as compared to China and India. Manuel’s describes her brave new world as that of economic interdependence. Following this, she first gives a standard history of India and China in terms of relationships and interactions with the western countries. In my opinion, her description is not detailed as much but a good general summary. In her descriptions, she highlights some of the possible steps that America would take. Among them include enlightened American leadership that would help in achieving a brave new world of peaceful cooperation especially between the three powerful economies (Manuel, 2016). Her ideal leadership concept is that which is calm and full of common sense. From her standpoint, most presidential campaigns usually lack calmness and common sense. According to Manuel, the mentioned factors are essential towards achieving firmness and clarity of intent. In order to achieve what she describes, patience and balance are required. She adds, “we should communicate clearly when we plan to push back on aggressive behavior, and then do so jointly with other countries…then we should look for opportunities and find a common ground.”
Anja Manuel is a diplomat who is mostly concerned about the future of the global economy. She identifies China and India as the most likely controllers of the global economy in a decade. Therefore, she critically analyzes the relationship between the US, India, and China. Her major concerned is cohesiveness and cooperation among the mentioned countries. Healthcare, environmental conservation and development assistance are the major areas of concern. Anja Manuel ventures into a topic that most analysts fear and make the most out of it. First, most people still consider India as a geopolitical mystery. It is difficult to find a writing that includes the three countries together. On the same note, bilateral relationships are usually considered sensitive.
This book is a rare combination of critical issues that are most likely to influence future economies. Manuel banked on the economic might and size of India and China. She pointed out that the two countries are likely to have veto powers in a decade. This is because the countries will have the potential to cont...