How to Run the World

by Parag Khanna

Russian Book. Publisher: Astrel'. Pages: 320. Year: 2012. Cover: Hardcover.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Economics, Business, Current Affairs, Political Science, Sociology

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Parag Khanna is Founder & Managing Partner of FutureMap, a data and scenario based strategic advisory firm. He is the international bestselling author of six books, has traveled to most of the countries of the world, and holds a PhD from the London School of Economics

Reviews

[Alec · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was silly. Some fun ideas, but absolutely no factual back up, and an almost pathological willingness to ignore the realities of corporate malfeasance. Also, his message got pretty monotonous by about page 75 - it really doesn't change much after that.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I disagree with his conclusion that nation-states are obsolete in global diplomacy, I do agree with his premise that NGO, technology, and multi-national firms are underutilized in the world of global diplomacy. I think America should lead covertly and use the above resources at her disposal in places which are hostile to overt American power and influence such as the middle east. I also like his prescription for world peace combining democratic self-determination while being interconnected by being part of a regional/global supply chain via globalization /free trade. Khanna's global diplomatic strategy is nothing more than Republican local decentralized style of government applied into a global scale. According to Khanna, "community-building is nation-building done right." But ironically, his model for such a system is the European Union in which each nation keeps its nationalistic integrity while being interconnected via trade and the Euro. He also points to technology giving voice to the voiceless and forcing bottom-up change in national govt, NGO's, and big corporations.

I agree with his premise that everyone will have some sort of interest and in multi-polar world, NGO, multinational firms, and various governments will have a specific goal to change the world in their own way. The role of US govt then is to be a megaphone of interest that have similar strategic goals (human rights and dignity of the individual) as the US government and to disrupt organizations that have counterproductive goals (global jihadism) to US policy.

Khanna states 3 global leadership goals that the US should pursue: 1)bring interagency departments together towards common strategic goals 2) make alliances with nations with similar strategic goals 3) leverage NGO and multinational firms who have goals that align with US strategic goals. He cites celebrities such as Bono, Richard Gere, or Angelina Jolie as people who have used their star power toward the goal of popularizing their international causes. He further cites super-NGO's such as Soros who funds democratic movements abroad to the Gates Foundation who leads the world in significant malaria and TB reduction.

He cites the World Economic Forum and Clinton Global Initiative as two forums for brainstorming on how different stake holders (NGO, multi-national corporations, national leaders )in their respective society can solve their own societies international problems.

Khanna favors private-public partnerships to supercharge the economy over laissez-faire economics. He states that whomever wins the entrepreneurial capitalism will win tomorrows economic battles. To him that means, state who foster innovation and enforce contracts. He also states that whatever country holds the largest currency reserves will dictate tomorrows markets. The danger for America is if we do not right our economy the dollar no longer will be the worlds currency and when this happens we can no longer buy our way to the best military in the world because our money will no longer be the gold standard.

Khanna then cites collective regional security as the best way to keep the peace. I agree in principle to his assertion that neighboring countries should keep the peace in their area and Western powers should simply serve in a support role especially when democracy and capitalism is involved. One interesting proposition that he proposes is using military private contract workers in peace keeping capacity. I think that could work; I just do not trust private military contract workers doing things in a national security capacity.

Khanna advocates democracy that comes from within not from an external force. Although grassroots democracy and capitalism is obviously the most sustainable form of development, it is also the slowest; thus western powers penchant for giving funds to a less effective centralized bureaucracy. Khanna also thinks that self-determination by ethnic powers combined with economic inter-nation interdependence by encouraging the building of a solid global supply chain and inter-nation massive infrastructure in order to support the increase in trade is the best way to keep global peace.

Khanna states that terrorism, piracy, warfare, and organized crime are all in bed together in which demand for one creates the black market supply for the other. In order to combat the forces of borderless chaos, Khanna favors strengthening Financial Action Task Force that seeks to combat money-laundering charities and financial institutions that fund terrorist as well as increase information sharing of law enforcement and intelligence agencies and increase interpol funding in order to apprehend terrorist who cross national borders.

He states that most common terrorist are local terrorist; thus the solution is also local via self-determination democracy (Obama strategy), and increase capabilities of intelligence/police. It is also important to have an effective law enforcement and judicial reform. He also states to stem the recruiting tide of terrorist groups; it is necessary for these young men to have jobs via multi-national firms. Apparently, there is a group of American companies that want the American brand to regain its prominence abroad while at the same time giving jobs to these failed states such as the Business for Diplomatic Action group.

I agree to his assessment that any stable liberal democracy regime must have certain criteria if it it to avoid devolution into oligarchy rule, or rampant corruption by state officials: these include a educated middle class and a respect for the rule of law with strong law enforcement and judiciary process. Without these prerequisites, one simply gets mock democracy. I like his prescription that in areas that are anti-American the best way to force transparency as well as a general democratization process is through NGO and ubiquitous telecommunications for everyone; thus getting a grass roots effect toward democracy. He cites Avaaz and change.org as such net-roots outfits that pushes government and corporations to change their behavior.

Khanna supports the use of free-trade and forces of multi-national firms in creating a global supply chain in order to alleviate global poverty as well as stabilize countries for world peace. I think he is correct in stating in countries that are failed states with little governance; the best way for stabilizing the area is multi-national firms that has a vested interest in stability in order to keep its global supply chain in working order.

Khanna states that the best poverty reduction programs involve micro-finance in order for local economies in developing nations to grow in a sustainable manner. He states that this is the case because social services are the first to be defunded during a recession/depression. This is the reason why I favor giving to social venture funds rather than charity because social funds can be self-sustaining whereas charity always depends on the finances of the giver. The key drivers for poverty reduction are: low inflation, sound financial markets, stable foreign exchange, openness to trade, solid rule of law, adequate public services, modern infrastructure, robust tax base, protection for minorities.

I like his alternative energy chapter. He states that climate change treaties are largely a waste of time because there is no enforcement. Permanent climate-friendly social adoption can only happen when the economics will allow for this to happen via technological advancement. This is particularly true in the US where land/resources is still plentiful. The probable fastest adapters of eco-friendly policies will be the EU because of its compactness and thus more competition for limited resources, China because of the rapid industrialization that is polluting its resources at an unprecedented rate, and/or Africa because they currently lack a power grid/resource consumption thus they can start from scratch. With the current trend of growth of the global middle class, energy consumption will double by 2030 according to Khanna so it is likely whichever economy can create green technology the fastest will win the manufacturing war of the 21st century. This is the reason, I generally support Obama emphasis on going green because it is about creating a new manufacturing base in which the US can export despite the charges of crony capitalism that inevitably accompanies any huge govt fund largesse (Bush's Iraq contractor crony capitalism due to military blank check). While we can probably achieve energy independence for the next 50 years via extracting oil from shale, we will not be able to build an export manufacturing base that will wipe out the trade deficit we have with China.

This is also the reason why I support the EU and California pro-green govt because those two economies will push climate-friendly policies and capitalism just by the shear size of its economies.

NGO:
1) Clinton Global Initiative
2) World Economic Forum
3) George Soros' Open Society Institue
4) Int'l Diplomat
5) Int'l Crisis Group
6) Business for Diplomatic Action
7) Transparency Int'l
8) AccountAbility
9) SustainAbility
10)The World Business Council for Sustainable Development
11) Trickle Up
12) Oversees Private Investment Company
13) International Finance Corporation
14) Leapfrog Insurance
15) Micro Equity Development
16) Kiva.org
17) Globalgiving.org
18) Devex
19) Calvert/Underdog Ventures
20) Clinical Director Network
21) Institute for OneWorld Health

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, essential, an exciting blueprint for improving life on our planet.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the book: How to Run the World (2011) is a guide to diplomacy in today’s chaotic world. This book paint a picture of how a new kind of diplomacy can make the world a better place, exploring the potential for new and meaningful partnerships across borders and sectors.

About the author: Parag Khanna is a global strategist, theorist and the best-selling author of Connectography (2016) and Technocracy in America (2017). He’s an expert on future geopolitics, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

My highlights:
The world is a chaotic whirlwind and changing this requires rethinking diplomacy. a Mega-Diplomacy that makes every influential force negotiate and work together with every other.
Being a diplomat means being influential, proactive and collaborative. Greenpeace
Diplomacy isn’t just about representing nation-states; instead, the new diplomats are entrepreneurs, activists, academics and even celebrities.
Synergy they can achieve through collaboration
Team up with people who are experts in these fields. By combining their skills with those of others, diplomats can produce better policies and more favorable outcomes.
Global stability depends on regional stability and new approaches to diplomacy. Instead of aiming for a system of global security, then, we should first set our sights on the construction of such systems regionally.
Diplomacy of the independent, crowdsourcing variety.
Staff work directly with clients, thereby staying continuously abreast of new developments. As a result, information doesn’t get stuck behind official walls or bureaucracy.
Colonialism has left weak, fractured states in its wake, but a new kind of colonialist can fix that. states need to be helped to help themselves. In other words, instead of acting as a different type of occupying force, new colonialists should provide resources that help states resolve their issues on their own.
Poor countries should aim for realistic goals, focus their energy and invest in public-private cooperation. poorer nations should endeavor to forge public-private partnerships
Helping impoverished countries implies focusing on their immediate needs and building their independence. instead of giving aid, people should focus on the immediate needs of such countries, which is a much more manageable task than tackling poverty itself. Simply put, helping poor nations means going out and learning what they need to progress.This is a crucial step. Their needs extend far beyond money; they also include things like access to clean water, food, education and shelter. These are all needs that can be met by mobilizing people in the field – not in their New York City offices.
Final summary: a new diplomatic system that fosters communication among all actors involved

[Dex · Rating 2 out of 5]

What starts off with a bold and promising thesis degenerates rapidly into a baffling and absurd defense of the status quo of entrenched elites in the international system.

Khanna's overall framing of a 'neo-Medieval' world order is attractive and well argued. But his prescriptions are so off base and premised on wrong or outdated facts that he completely undermines this. Just some of the ludicrous examples - he identifies the World Economic Forum and the G-20 as his ideal vehicles of 'mega-diplomacy', despite all the evidence which shows these hover somewhere between talking shops and marketing vehicles for corporate interests. When talking about ending the 'resource curse', I hooted out loud at his veneration of the Kimberley Process, a regime that has proved absolutely ineffectual at ending blood diamonds, while also hailing De Beers as a benevolent force. "Oil and mining companies want what's in the ground, not to interfere in what goes on above it" says Khanna, destroying his last shreds of credibility.

Khanna makes clear throughout the book his opposition to any dramatic change in the structure of the international system, such as a democratized UN or a world government. His turgid defense of the established order makes clear exactly why a new form of institutional arrangement is needed in the world - to end the curse of this shabby, derivative set of ideas on the way our planet operates.

[Jung]

The world is a convoluted mess of global actors, each driven by its own self-interest. War, poverty and suffering are rampant and the only way forward is a new diplomatic system that fosters communication among all actors involved. This mega-diplomacy could also help poor countries build their independence and become self-sufficient over time.
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The world is a chaotic whirlwind and changing this requires rethinking diplomacy.

Wouldn’t it be great if every element of society just worked in perfect harmony all the time?

For the vast majority of us, the answer is an obvious “yes,” but thanks to self-interest, the world currently functions more like a mosh pit at a rock concert than a well-oiled machine.

Just consider all the different actors at play, all pursuing their own interests. There’s the Global North, the Global South, politicians, academics, multinational corporations and religious groups, just to name a few. Nobody’s totally innocent in this chaotic hodgepodge, and everyone may seem suspect

Each of the actors is so ambitious that their interactions invariably result in massive power struggles. That’s why a mosh pit is such a good comparison: all these different forces are wildly, sometimes even violently, moving around, colliding into each other.

Obviously, that’s no way to run the world. To change the situation, we need a new diplomatic system, a Mega-Diplomacy that makes every influential force negotiate and work together with every other.

But before we get there, let’s first talk about diplomacy in general.

The concept of diplomacy has existed for millennia. In fact, the ancient Mesopotamians, who lived in what is now Iraq, used diplomacy to convey important messages from the divine from one city-state to another.

Later, the ancient Greeks turned diplomacy into a tool for engaging in trade and politics. And much later, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, diplomacy became a secretive process of negotiation, carried out by the ultra-powerful in dark, smoke-filled rooms.

It’s important to know this history because, of course, that’s not the type of diplomacy being called for here. In the modern world, especially with emergent technologies, diplomacy is far more than a means of negotiation and a defense against war.

For diplomacy to be mega is for it to be a complex web that connects a vast array of actors who work together to create a better future. But who are these mega diplomats? That’s what we’ll cover next.
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Poor countries should aim for realistic goals, focus their energy and invest in public-private cooperation.

There are plenty of poor countries in the world that are rich in natural resources but nevertheless consistently fail to pull themselves out of poverty. Why?

Well, by trying to emulate emerging economies like those of the BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India and China – poor countries often get in over their heads. In the process, they end up hampering their plans for development.

A better approach is to set realistic goals and focus on niche markets in which these smaller developing countries can excel. After all, the BRIC countries didn’t get to their positions of global power by copying the success of the West. Rather, they focused on doing what made sense in their own economic contexts and doing it is as well as they could.

Other developing nations should take a lesson from them and do the same. Consider the Persian Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which thrive by focusing their efforts. Some focus on oil and gas exports while others dig into tourism or shipping.

As such, a highly impoverished country like Tajikistan should take Nepal or Kyrgyzstan as a benchmark for its own goals. While Nepal and Kyrgyzstan may not be global stars like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, they’ve taken advantage of their natural resources – and their beautiful mountains in particular – to build thriving tourism industries.

To create such success for themselves, poorer nations should endeavor to forge public-private partnerships. In fact, if you look at examples of countries that have risen out of poverty, many of them have done so through the introduction of public and private cooperation. Such collaboration is central to sustainable economic growth.

For instance, in India, a Delhi branch of the family-owned Tata power helped the municipality of Delhi eradicate electricity theft. Or take the case of Saudi Arabia’s oil company, Aramco. The company allied with foreign universities to build the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, ensuring globally respected standards for Saudi Arabia’s national education.
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World Order by Henry Kissinger

World Order (2014) is a guide to the complex mechanisms that have governed international relations throughout history. These explain how different countries conceive of different world orders and how they are held in balance or brought into conflict.

[John Pabon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review #10 of my 52 week book challenge: How to Run the World

I've been dying to sink my teeth back into this book. I read it several years ago when it first came out and wanted to see how well it aged. Parag Khanna is widely considered one of the most brilliant minds when it comes to public policy and government. Writing this book back before the age of Trump, however, means a lot of his recommendations now fall flat. When he originally posited how to run the world, though, we were in a very different world indeed. Much of the original piece would make sense had we not entered the Twilight Zone. Perhaps it's time for a version 2.0...the world could certainly use one.

To find out why I started the 52 Week Book Challenge, what I've been reading, and how you can get involved, check out my original LinkedIn Publisher Article or follow me.

[Alienne Laval · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me his core work because here he emphasizes the to the Gorean setting so well fitting idea of the city states that his later works increasingly miss. I only could explain it politically or as a result of social pressure.

[Iván · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesantes miradas y realidades para entender el mundo. Parag Khanna es un autor fundamental para entender nuestro mundo.

[Quinns Pheh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreamy after tea

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing notion that “mega-diplomacy” represents the new form of effective global collective action.

[Dustin Dye · Rating 1 out of 5]

The fact that Parag Khanna misspelled "Ruin" on the cover should be a red flag about the quality of the proposals in this book.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting book on how the world should be run. Yet Mr. Khanna's idea should fall under fiction. Why? Well, because they will never happen. I don't agree with most of the book. Questions get raised reading the book. Should a sovereign government allow other countries much less a world tipe government run it? Should the people of those countries allow it? The answer for me is no they should and I wouldn't.

Now I did agree with some of his economic ideas, and those in use today by companies. Though I stress I agreed with only some.

I also agreed with some of his environmental ideas. I do disagree with him on Climate Change. I don't agree with climate change and to say we are causing it has yet to be proven. We are the first human with the ability to track weather and many other climate related thing because of the evolution of science. We can not say with 100 percent certainty that we are the main cause of what is happening because no where in history do we have a benchmark to measure from.

Read if you want it was not a bad book.

[Rishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parag Khanna has a very digestible was of writing even though the content can be thick. I learned a lot about the reality of the current state of the globe from this book. I think the biggest eye-opener was the idea that .com, .org, and .gov can all work together and that social good is not off of the radar of even the largest corporations like Shell.

This is no longer a world where ethnocentrism and geocentrism is going to accomplish anything but harm. Technological integration has given way to things like mobile banking in remote Africa and microfinancing from Kiva.org is creating entrepreneurs and raising standards of living in even the roughest of 3rd world nations.

Better integration and use of resources, focusing on locale rather than "big idea" organizations like the UN are what will cause change for the good.

All in all, this is a solution-oriented book that offers real insight into the way to accomplish the next Renaissance and get out of this second Dark Ages we are in.

[Tamra]

Ideas you don't hear aired on typical cable news broadcasts. He says that the United States needs a diplomatic industrial complex. I figured we already had one, but apparently, our foreign affairs have been badly mismanaged at the governmental level and he advocates that non-government organizations (NGOs) have more agility to handle and respond to corporate activities--the feds just take too long to get anything done! The author wrote that "China's main obstacle to superpower status isn't the United State but rather the ecological and health costs of reckless industrialization." He also points out that First Solar of Arizona is building a solar field larger than Manhattan--in MONGOLIA! The gist of his book is that "NGOs are the tugboats of progressive diplomacy, steering supertanker governments and international organizations in the right direction on human rights and climate change."

[The Book : An Online Review at The New Republic]

Parag Khanna, the director of the Global Governance Initiative at the New America Foundation, is part of a generation of young foreign policy thinkers who believe that we have entered an altogether different era of international relations, one in which power is diffuse, the nation-state is far from omnipotent, and transnational problems threaten to unleash global chaos. Like the “Davos Men” described by Samuel Huntington, members of this cohort are committed internationalists and see national identity as increasingly irrelevant. Read more...

[Jean Fausto · Rating 2 out of 5]

It brings an interesting perspective to global governance, but there are many faults in it. First of all, Khanna underestimates the roles of States, while overestimates the virtues of the market and the efficiency of NGOs. Because of that, he highlights too often a lack of "political will" and forgets to point out structural constraints. Besides, the book is repetitive, presenting few real arguments and a flood of random information, indicating no verifiable source to it.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent groundbreaking insights on what is going on in the world ... how right and wrong decisions and policies are made, what countries need to focus on and what a lot of forward-looking people and organizations are doing. He makes a strong case. After reading this book, I am starting to have a little more hope.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parag is an innovator within international relations and geo-politics. He charts the course of the world's future landscape. I reached out to him regarding questions and he responded with information. Good read.

[Rütteger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Form an alliance of nonprofit, NGOs, corporations, and municipalities, to mirror the social and political structure of the early Renaissance but grafted over current technology and global geopolitics? No thank you, Mr. Khanna.

[Carlyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

very important book

[Waleed · Rating 1 out of 5]

It just puts in words what has been happening for decades. What do you call Human Rights Watch and its subsidiaries.. It confirms Wikileaks and conspiracy theorists. Thanks for the candor.

[Benjamin Thomas Sutpen]

http://t.co/vIl9M5Dd

[Phil Rigby]

Whilst not short of contentious moments, Khanna has enough good ideas to keep this interesting...and of course he may just be right?

[Adjsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think book for people who want to change world. And that is new vision to solve the main significant human being's problems.

[Erin MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of amazing ideas. Very encouraging that something can be done about the economic/environmental state of the world. This book makes it impossible to see the world in black and white.

[John R Naugle]

This looks interesting.

[Jb]

So far, I'm loving this book. Very thought provoking.

[André Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Run the World is the cutting-edge manifesto for diplomacy in a borderless world.