The Second World By Parag KhannaThe Next Hundred Million by Joel

Kotkin

Rosy Caito

History 141

The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050

By 2050, the United States will be home to at least 400 million people, one hundred million more than there already are today.

America’s population growth will be in its racial minorities , specifically Asians and Hispanics and in mixed-race population.

This new diverse population will bring along many of our future society’s new ideas, technological innovations, and cultural expressions.

The basic faith in the individual, family, and community will remain fundamental instruments for securing our country’s future.

Growth and new cities

The nation will be dominated by 10 different megalopolitan areas, which include Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Miami.

The most amount of growth will take place in these areas and they will be multipolar, dependent on autos, and geographically vast.

The new cities in 2050 will have to depend on the revival of traditional institutions and ancient ideals.

In order for these new cities to grow and flourish, social networks and technology will promote more contacts in different communities.

“Sense of community” will be main in supporting urban communties.

The next hundred million Americans will move to rural America and live in suburbs instead of clustered cities.

These suburbs will have a more racially diverse population with a diversity of housing types, town centers, and cultural and religious institutions.

People will have more of an opportunity to walk around, ride bikes, and work at nearby companies.

The Second World

Khanna believes that “America’s future depends on its ability to compete with the European Union and China to forge relationships with the Second World.”

The Second World are the countries that are growing in influence and economic strength.

The three superpowers of the United States, the European Union, and China all want energy and natural resources.

These 3 regions already possess most of the total power in the world and are trying to prevent all others from gaining ground around them.

China moving up as a leading power

The Pacific Era is destined to be the greatest of all and will be led by China.

Even though China lacked the military and economic prerequisites, it still acted as a global power

China would supplant the US as the world’s leading power because of its incalculable potential of population growth.

China plans on a “peaceful rise.” It will rise as a non threat and will create major economic opportunities for its alliances.

Japan, Korea, Australia, and Singapore are slowly shifting their strategies and becoming more interdependent with China.

China’s expansion is silent and economic, provoking not military counterstrategies, but generating goodwill.

America – rise or decline?

America’s global esteem and self promotion took place based on its status as the military defender of freedom

It has the wealthiest society and vibrant democracy.

The future of the United States is uncertain though, with decline in economy and world dominance.

The European Union

The EU is a revolutionary institution with the potential to reverse the westbound rotation of geopolitical centrality.

EU laws supersede the majority of national laws, and most of European trade goes on with the EU.

1 country per year is absorbed into the EU. EU expansion has also become a virtuous circle of

tapping into new markets to decrease reliance on exports to the US- this has been a crucial step in building an independent superpower.