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Over the years I have come to think of myself as an “internationalist” or perhaps a “globalist.” I try to think in terms of the whole world, to understand trends around the world, to understand global enterprises, to understand the peoples and places of the world.
Two hundred years ago you probably could have been a tribalist or a villager. Your life could proceed quite well without knowing much, or caring much, about the next town down the road. Then it became more important to know your own state or region.
Over the last 100 or 150 years the modern idea of the nation-state, and with it the idea of being a citizen of a nation-state, came into prominence. There were no “Italians” before the 1860s. There were only Sicilians and Venetians. There were no “Germans.” There were Prussians and Bavarians. We did not really solidify the idea of being unified Americans until we battled through our own civil war.
Today that local world is long gone.
Few things happen anywhere in the world without some impact on the other side of the globe. Anyone who needs to understand and/or make decisions about the world of today must understand what is going on around the whole globe. Going through life with your grandparents’ worldview is no longer sufficient. It would be like driving down the freeway thinking you were on a county road. This will only become more true in coming years.
So it is critically important that our young people, tomorrow’s leaders, think globally and see the world through holistic eyes.
Towards that goal, I would recommend three pieces of current media.
First, read The Economist magazine. This weekly, which also has an excellent website, is the only magazine I know of with a truly global perspective. It is also very intelligently written. A few weeks ago I posted (http://hooversworld.com/archives/3311?day=Tuesday) about their annual The World in 2010 issue, which I urge you to get. It’s one of the few important “books” which Amazon does not sell – a good reason to stop by any bookstore with a good newsstand, or any good newsdealer.
Second and third, watch two great shows on CNN every Sunday. At 1PM Eastern (Noon Central), Fareed Zakaria’s GPS (“Global Public Square”) features the very bright and very global Zakaria, who writes for Newsweek, interviewing the most important people in the world, many of whom you have never heard of or certainly not seen on television. He closes each broadcast with a book recommendation, so he’s a man after my own heart. I also recommend you read his books and articles – he’s one smart cookie, with no axe to grind. (www.cnn.com/gps.)
Right after his show is Amanpour, a weekly program hosted by CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. Whether you agree with her or not, she’s probably been to more countries and seen things from more angles than you and I combined. This is another really smart person talking about the issues that really matter and that do not make your regular headlines.
Much of our media is taken up by Tiger Woods’ latest affair or the dickerings of our own Congress. TV shows don’t seem to last long unless someone is screaming at someone else, cutting them off in mid-sentence. Only by supporting media like these three, devoid of screaming but full of thoughtful discussion, can we all move forward in our understanding of, and leadership of, the world in which we live.
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