"What are you basing that on"? This deceptively simple question is sublime, yet profound. It is cleverly disarming because it demands a response, clarification and most importantly accountability. What are your facts? Where is your supporting data? How about corroborating evidence? “A man prefers to believe that which he prefers to be true,” exclaimed Francis Bacon. Therein rests our national conundrum. America has become a nation torn apart by blindly ideological and unrepentantly partisan thinking. Good governance has degenerated into the politics of dysfunction. Political office, once thought to be a noble public service, is now about the singular pursuit of partisan power. Results-driven, solution-based coalition building has spiraled into endemic short-term thinking driven by a pathological dependence on corporate money. Rather than engage, we attack. Instead of results, we get regurgitated polemics. The nation’s gaze is fixated on two ongoing reality shows: “Pick Your Own Facts,” and “Choose Your Own Realty.” This is a tragic paradox for a country long thought to be the beacon of light for the world at large.
The world has incontrovertibly changed, yet the thinking in America has not. One need not choose a box in life nor meet an ideological litmus test. This rigid adherence toward intellectual and philosophical compartmentalization is structurally unsound. It produces a throng of linear thinkers who view the world through a narrow ideological lens. The real story usually resides in the “why.” We however, feebly settle for the “what.” We have become a nation imprisoned by a closed circle of ideas. Unchallenged beliefs and ungoverned assumptions have become the ruling paradigm. Very rarely do we venture out of this self-imposed myopia to validate or authenticate our beliefs. The search for the truth becomes subordinate. Rather, we craft synthetic realties to reinforce our assumptions. Nietzsche was correct when he said, “convictions are greater enemies of the truth than lies.”
Our new global world demands a new global perspective. For the first time in history our new world is not just multipolar, it is multicivilizational. We can no longer look at an increasing complex, diverse, and interconnected world through a narrow U.S. unipolar hegemonic lens. The prism must be wider, deeper and more nuanced. For America, we are dealing with a reality qualitatively different than anything we have seen. The gravity of global economic power center has shifted east. The ascension of emerging powers in South Korea, Indonesia, and Turkey along with the rise of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, China, and India)-which will now include South Africa to become the BRICS- represents the most significant rebalancing of global power since America’s coming out in the 19th century. Austrian economist, Joseph Schumpeter adeptly captured the zeitgeist of radical transformation with his theory on “creative destruction.” The East is now empowered by a tidal wave of innovation, capital and economic clout.
Geopolitics however is not a linear progression. The anointing of Japan in the 1980's as the next global super power is a dangerous reminder of Panglossian simplicity. Our new global world is inherently unpredictable. Change and crisis management is at the epicenter. You need only look at one of the brutal fallacies exposed in our post-crisis world: systemic risk in sovereign debt. Ireland's multibillion-euro bail-out further reshapes global economic debate. This begets the bigger question: can the European Union handle a potential bail-out of Spain?
Our ever changing global economic landscape also underscores why America will retain a preeminent international position. The U.S. still has the most complete CV of military might, economic power, creative business innovation, world class universities, and the world’s wealthiest middle class. More importantly, America is still be viewed as the global balancer of power of choice. This new global economic narrative is less about America's decline and more about the blossoming of new vibrant economic powers.
Our ever changing global economic landscape also underscores why America will retain a preeminent international position. The U.S. still has the most complete CV of military might, economic power, creative business innovation, world class universities, and the world’s wealthiest middle class. More importantly, America is still be viewed as the global balancer of power of choice. This new global economic narrative is less about America's decline and more about the blossoming of new vibrant economic powers.
It is not only where you sit that determines how you see the world, it is also who is framing the picture. It is clear the tenets of Joseph Pulitzer’s template of journalism have been abandoned. Too many media powers have abjectly forsaken the creed of unvarnished truth and objectivity. Balance and unbiased reporting has given way to op-ed vitriol and polemics. Discussion of paradigm shifting global economic events is continually viewed through a U.S. only lens. The sui generis of New World Global Perspective's platform is a new conceptual framework for 21st century journalism. We want to harness disparate international voices and foster robust global engagement. To truly drive knowledge, we view nothing so sacrosanct to be immune from critical analysis or scrutiny. The authenticity of anything is validated by the fire of examination and investigation. We always say the real story is in what you do not see. Piercingly clear perspective, insightful content, and true multipolar analysis is needed. We will provide that and a lot more.
